Cupid's Got A Shotgun
by CecilyAurora
Summary: Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**So with To Get To You coming to an end I decided to post my new story to see what kind of reviews I get and if I should continue it. Please let me know! Thanks! Enjoy!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter One: Kids**

"Yes," sighing "cause I have all the time in the world to date right now Hales." Brooke rolled her green eyes. Ever since the divorce three years ago, Haley has been pushing Brooke to get back out there and date, but between working and the kids she does not have the time to.

"It's been enough time since the divorce. Get out there again Tigger. You deserve it." Haley tried to butter her up before continuing to push for what she wants. "Nate and I will watch them when you have a date or better yet use the jerk, who I love, ex of a husband you have. I mean he is the father, he sure can watch him."

"Cause Lucas can handle six kids." Sarcasm dripped from her voice. "Hell, I can't even handle them. Luke up against Em and her hormones will kill everyone in sight." She cracked a joke. "I'm really tempted to send Gwenie and Teddy to the zoo. Who knows, maybe the zoo will want those monkeys. Or better yet do you think I can send them to the circus and run off with Fabio to live happily ever after without the annoyance of kids."

Gwendolyn "Gwenie" Lucy and Theodore "Teddy" Henry were the two uh-oh's that made the Scott family complete. Brooke always thought after four kids she was done until the red headed Gwenie was born. The terror on feet, she knew what she wanted and knew how to get it. Nothing would stop her, even at the age of six. She made Brooke nervous from the minute she started walking. Then three months later, Brooke became pregnant with Teddy she hoped for a much easier baby and her wish came true. He was so cuddly and always wanted to be held, which is where he got his nickname Teddy Bear.

"If you want Fabio, you need to get out to date." Haley pointed out. "When was the last time you've been on a date? High school? The kids are older now you can go out. Go do something fun without them." Haley tried to reason. "We all need time to focus on ourselves and right now you need it the most."

"I'll focus on myself when Teddy turns eighteen. Till then I'm a mommy first."

"He's five. Soon enough he won't need his mommy anymore. Damn, Lydia told me today she's too old to be driven to school by me. I embarrass her. I should embarrass her. I'm her mother, it's my job." She rambled on, laughing slightly. "Just one date, B. I'll sign you up for one of those dating websites. I was talking to Bevin while waiting to pick up Lydia and she said she met her new husband on one. It may work out if you try."

"I'm a mother to six kids, Haley. Every guy will jump at the chance when they see single mother to six kids whose ex-husband is always there." Brooke rolled her eyes again.

"Just let me sign you up and you can go on three dates and that's it."

"Let me think about it, you damn woodpecker." Brooke knew Haley, and knew her well. She wouldn't stop till she gave in. "But if I do, approving all possible dates. Got it?"

"We'll see about that. The first one will be a blind date. You need to get back into your groove." Haley laughed. "The old Brooke Davis- pre kids and Lucas needs to come back."

"The old Brooke Davis before kids and Lucas was a slut, Hales."

"Well sometimes you need to get laid so you're not so grumpy."

"By Hales. I've got to go. Lucas was on pick up duty. Let's see how he feels when he sees Em with a boyfriend and Rosie and Gwen's pierced ears. Oh he will love me today." Brooke clapped her hands. "He'll love me all over again."

"I will never understand you two."

Their marriage was good, but they distanced themselves over the years, six kids pulling you in every direction as well as jobs going in two different places. Lucas traveled to New York City constantly to meet with his editors while Brooke stayed behind running her business from their small hometown.

"Mom I'm going to kill dad!" Emmeline stormed into the house. Footsteps of six other people followed behind her at a slower pace.

Emmeline Kate Scott was her father's daughter with her mother's personality. Her father's looks encompassed her from her blonde hair to her blue eyes that sometimes look green depending on the light. She was hell on wheels. She was stubborn and knew what she wanted and how to go and get it.

"Let the chaos begin." Brooke mumbled to herself, tossing the phone on the cushion next to her and her cup on the coffee table. "What happened Em?"

"Ask him! He ruined my life today. Do you know how embarrassing he can be, Mother?" She huffed, plopping down on the couch. "Father's should not be allowed to be on the school grounds no matter what."

"Luke, what did you do?" Brooke asked nervously as she tried to hide her laughter. Brooke saw this whole situation coming the moment Em was placed in her arms at birth. Right then and there Lucas gave her the 'no boys till your fifty' conversation. "Scratch that. Em, what did he do?"

"He dragged her to the car, Mommy! It was funny!" Teddy's angelic laugh went through out the house as he jumped into his mother's arms.

"In front of everyone!"

"Maybe if you weren't locking lips with a guy I wouldn't have too!" Lucas sighed. He hated teenage years. Hated it with a complete and utter passion. He wanted to just lock her away in a room till her emotions are in control.

"One kiss dad, that was all." The infamous Emmeline eye roll took place. "And he's my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? You have a boyfriend? No boys, no, no no!" Lucas yelled.

"Lucas, calm down, go have a beer. Boys are going to be in and out of her life for a while now."

"Brooke that's not helping."

"Dad, this is not something to have a heart attack over." Em sighed loudly, expressing her annoyance.

"Your room, now." He pointed to the staircase.

"You can't be serious dad!"

"Listen to him, Emmeline." Brooke sighed. She didn't agree with the punishment. Emmeline was acting her normal self, attitude yes but she's a teen still and Lucas and her agreed that they would be agreement with all punishments set by the other. "Go."

"He doesn't even belong here, why does he get to punish me?" Em stomped up the stairs mumbling under her breath. "I just don't get it."

"Watch it, Emmeline." Lucas warned.

"Emmy's in trouble! Emmy's in trouble!" Theodore skipped around the living room, chanting loudly because he could.

"Do you want to be in trouble?" Lucas's eyes went directly to his youngest son. The blue eyes met blue eyes and Teddy calmed down in an instant mumbling a no for a response. "That's what I thought."

Being divorced didn't do anything much to effect the family, they were still all together multiple times during the week. Lucas would even come over for dinner before taking the kids over to his three-bedroom apartment for his nights. If one kid had a school or sporting event, the family went as a whole to support it. They will always be a family.

"Where's Sully?" Brooke looked around missing her middle son, one that was broody and shy like his father, one that loved to read and write even at eleven-years-old. He was a little nerdy at times; wearing t-shirts with characters from books Brooke has never heard of and had glasses that didn't help much.

"Shit!" Lucas mumbled throwing his hands in the air. "I knew I was forgetting something."

Being the smarty-pants in the family, Sullivan Micah was sent to a specialized elementary school that targets his needs for learning. It was in the next town over, making bussing impossible, and Lucas forgot multiple times to pick him up.

"Daddy! You need to put a dollar in the swear jar!" Gwenie stated pointing to the jar filled with single dollar bills and a couple of five-dollar bills. The swear jar is a jar that was started when Patrick's first words was "uck" but Lucas and Brooke both knew what he meant. They had to change their language, and change it fast. Brooke caught on quickly and only had a few slips, but Lucas on the other hand needed to have singles on him at all times. "You said a bad word!"

"Later, baby. Daddy did a big uh-oh and has to go fix it." Lucas sighed running his hands through his longer than normal blonde hair.

"How can you do this? It's not like it's the first time." Brooke followed him outside, clearly upset. "Yes, he's quiet and not at the same school but hell Lucas, you dropped him off this morning."

"Stop with the nagging Brooke. I fucked up okay? I'll make it better by going to get him now." He climbed into that stupid truck that he bought the minute the divorce went through because Brooke made him give up his hotrod when baby number four came along.

"I come too!" Gwenie and Teddy ran out the door, almost pushing Brooke over as they climbed into the SUV that Lucas hates driving.

"The things you do." Brooke mumbled to herself throwing her hands up in defeat.

After twelve years of marriage the bickering started, just like what happened. Brooke would fight every little thing and Lucas would fight back. They both were so stubborn and always had to be correct. It ended in the distance and the fighting.

"Mom?" Rosalie skipped over to Brooke. "You'd never guess what Lydia taught me!"

Brooke sucked in a breath. The nine-year-old was best friend's with her eleven-year-old cousin. Rosalie Clara was the sweet but sassy angel. She, thanks to Lucas started at a young age, could play basketball with her eyes closed. She loved the sport, but as she got older her love turned to girlier things- Brooke expertise. She had raven locks that fell to her lower back and her green eyes sparkled in the sun. She was gorgeous but doesn't every parent think his or her kid is gorgeous?

"What did she teach you know?" Brooke was nervous. Last time Lydia taught Rosalie anything, she came home saying 'whatever' to everything. Sure it wasn't bad, but it was just annoying.

"What sex is! Uncle Nathan gave her the talk cause she's a woman now." Rosalie nodded her head. "I'm almost a women, did you know that?"

"Please not yet." She made a mental note to talk to Nathan about what he tells Lydia and also to make a note to keep her innocent Rosie away from Lydia. "Baby, stay my baby forever."

"Teddy's your baby, Mommy. I'm getting older you know."

"Whatever you say Darling. All of you go pack a bag for the night. It's your father's night for all you." Brooke shoved them all up the stairs with groans of complaints. The kids loved their dad but having to share a room wasn't what they really liked. In Lucas's small three-bedroom townhome, the girls shared one room and the boys shared a room leaving Lucas with his own. The three-bedroom townhome was their old beach house. Many memories encompassed that house.

Whenever Lucas did pickup it meant one thing, kids are with him for the night. The silence helped Brooke relax, and most of the time she'd pick up a shift at the café to let Haley go home to her family or help out with the dinner rush. She loved it when the kids were really young and their back office turned into a playroom. That she missed terribly.

"Em?" Brooke knocked on her eldest's door.

"Why does he get to punish me if he doesn't even live here? Like seriously Mom?" Emmeline laid on her back on her bed. She was not even looking at Brooke but she did that a lot. Em's room was a representation of her. Walls filled with boy band posters, pictures of the family and pictures of friends. A shelf in the one corner held cheerleading and gymnastic trophies that she worked hard for.

"Cause he's still your father, Em. He has that right no matter where you are." She patted her daughter's leg. "Get ready to go."

"Sadly." Em pouted falling back on her bed. "I hate it there."

"Its one night, babe. That's all." Brooke laughed it off before leaving the room.

"But on Saturday, Trent asked me out, but it's Dad's weekend and he'll say no to it. I wanna go to the dance, Mom. I should be allowed to."

"Tell him about the dance and leave out the boy. A little lie never hurt your father." Brooke laughed. "If he says anything about it afterwards, I'll deal with him."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime Emmy Kay. Finish getting ready."

Ten minutes later, Lucas returned as the kids waiting in the TV room for him.

"I can only say sorry so many times, Sul. I know it was shitty but you gotta stop with the silence treatment. Your ten."

"Eleven dad, I'm eleven now." Sullivan stuttered slightly. He never spoke up like this, which shocked Brooke tremendously.

"You are?" Lucas looked just as shocked. He remembers birthdays horribly. Brooke buys him a calendar every Christmas with a years worth of pictures of the kids for him to remember birthdays and other special days that year. "Not the point, Sully. It was a mistake and I'll make it up tonight. We'll get ice cream later? All of use."

"Ice cream?" Gwenie cheered jumping up and down with excitement.

"I can't have ice cream. You should know that."

"Sully, go grab your bag, okay?" Brooke tried to calm the situation, hoping to have Sullivan leave for a little will help with the situation.

"Got any beer?" Lucas headed through the house towards the kitchen.

"You have your own beer. Leave mine for myself."

Instead of listening, Lucas grabbed one and made himself at home of the couch next to his kids, ignoring the death glare coming from Brooke.

"I'm ready." Sully spoke softly, only looking at the ground.

"Thanks for the beer, gorgeous." Lucas kissed Brooke's cheek like nothings changed before piling all the kids in the car.

"Enjoy tonight, and remember you have school tomorrow." Brooke yelled after them, knowing they'll choose to ignore him. "I need a beer." Brooke mumbled to herself.

Laying on the couch in silence, Brooke's eyes wondered around the house. Even though Lucas and her are not married anymore, there were family photos with both of them in it all around. Brooke couldn't part with the precious photos of her children progressing in age. They were memories that helped shaped her, and her family to who they were today.

"Fuck this." Brooke was bored and lonely with everyone gone. This large house did much to comfort her loneliness. Maybe Haley was right, maybe she needed to get back out there again. But dating after almost twenty years of not dating? The whole idea made Brooke cringe, but it maybe the right step.

"Hey Hales," Brooke nervously stated into the phone. She was feeling herself chicken out about doing this.

"_What can I do for you, Tigger?"_ Haley laughed.

"I think I may take you up on your offer. It's kind of lonely being all by myself."

"_Oh my gosh, this will be amazing!"_ Haley cheered. "_Oh we are so going to find you an amazing guy! Cheer up a little! Any guy will love you and those kids_."

"I hope you are right, Tutor Girl." Brooke nervously let out a laugh. "Let's just see if I get the guts to do this and if Lucas acknowledges it."

"_I don't understand you two. You both still act like a happily married couple. Why would it matter if he acknowledges it?" _

"Just set up the profile and inform me when you get a guy, okay? Bye Tutor Mom." Brooke laughed hanging up her phone.

Cupid's finally gonna help her out again. Here goes nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**So this chapter is dedicated to the one and only ****Sandygirl**** who always is the first one to review on my stories and tell me what she thinks of them. Thank you for that and I hope you enjoy!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Two: Date From Hell**

"So Luke I need you to do me a favor this weekend." Brooke was pleading with him. It was a hot spring day and after returning from Patrick's baseball game, as a family, they were spending the day by the pool. "I know it's my weekend, but I need you to watch the kids on Saturday."

"Why? What's Saturday?" Lucas questioned sipping on the beer that he gladly took out from the kitchen fridge. Brooke always had beer in the house, and made sure it was a kind he approved of.

"I have a date." Brooke smiled proudly. Since Haley set up the page, Brooke started talking to a guy named Owen. He seemed nice, and was very easy to talk too. Brooke could spend hours texting back and forth with. She hasn't mentioned the amount of kids she has. "Haley pushed the whole dating website on me, and I met someone who I'd like to meet in person."

"Oh I see." Lucas nodded looking out at the kids instead of Brooke's face. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Yeah he had some dates, here and there, and one girl comes over when the kids aren't there to be adult, but nothing serious.

"Sully, why don't you go swimming with everyone?" Brooke was worried at times about Sullivan. He was the one that kept her up at night. The rest of the kids did have their moments, but Sullivan stayed in her mind. Right now, instead of enjoying a swim with his siblings, Sullivan was sitting at they're outside table in the corner of the yard, reading his book. "Put the book down, bud. Go swim. The book will be there when you get back."

"No thank you." He didn't bother to look up from his book.

"Sul, I mean it, put the book away." Brooke did enjoy that he was different from the rest of the kids. He was the one that Lucas would have intellectual conversations about books and school work. At first, with the start of school, Brooke was nervous that he wouldn't fit in. The school psychologist stated that he was different, but in a completely normal way. No so-called "problems" with him.

"But it's just getting to the good part." His anger though was from Brooke all the way. He slammed the book into the table before stomping over to his parents.

"The good part can wait till after some family fun." Brooke pointed out. "Go swim." She watched him carefully as he walked in from the steps with a pout of his face and his arms crossed over his chest. He took his time to move in and slowly starting to relax.

"Look daddy, I can swim by myself!" Gwenie stuck her hand off the wall and swam as fast as she could to the other side.

"Good job, baby girl." Lucas beamed proudly.

"Daddy, come in!" Teddy giggled from Emmeline's arms. She, with the help of Patrick, was throwing Teddy in the air causing him to giggle as he crashed into the water.

"Not today, bud." He smiled at his youngest. "It seems like I didn't know it was swimming day. Sorry." He did actually have swim trunks with him, but he didn't want to swim. Drinking a beer and talking to Brooke who was proudly showing off her curves was enough for him.

"Patrick Scott you better not be doing what I think you're doing!" Brooke warned. She had to laugh slightly that as her kids got older she still needed to keep an eye at them at all times. This time, Patrick, at the age of thirteen, was trying to dunk a screaming Em. "Get away from your sister, please."

"I'm just trying to have some fun. You all suck." He smirked sending shivers down Brooke's spine. If Brooke and Lucas weren't around and Patrick was only around Nathan, you'd think he was Nathan's son. He got the different characteristics from his parents, dark hair from Brooke and blue eyes from Lucas, which made him look like his uncle when they were combined together.

"Out, now." Brooke tried to stay motherly, as Haley called it. "Ten minutes for your language."

"Suck, suck, suck, suck, suck." Patrick laughed climbing out. He was at the age were he pushed the buttons of his parents on a constant basis.

"Patrick, you're walking on a fine line." Brooke warned him before turning to Lucas. "Is it bad that I hate that we are actually starting to sound like parents more and more?"

"Well we have been parents for, Em how old are you?"

"Fifteen?" She yelled back with a questioning look. He picked to ignore it before continuing on.

"Well for fifteen years, it's bound to stick and set in eventually."

"Anyway," Brooke took a sip of the refreshing beer before continuing back to the original topic. "Can you watch them next weekend?"

It was always weird to Brooke that she stated to Lucas that he was basically a babysitter when she couldn't have them. It was like those mother's who go out and leave their husband's babysitting their kids. Shouldn't it not be considered babysitting since it's your own kid?

"I'm not sure, something might come up between then and now." Lucas shrugged it off. He didn't mind having them; it would save him a trip to this house anyway. There was something about it though, that bothered him deep down. Shaking off those feelings he smirked at her. "If nothing better comes between now and then, I'll take them." That comment earned him a slap to the chest. "Really, B?"

Instead of responding, she took another sip of her beer sneering happily. Before she knew what was going on, Lucas had he out of her seat and over his shoulder.

"Hey guys, what would your mother think if I threw her right into the pool?" Lucas stood at the edge of the deep end of the pool Brooke just had to have when they were building their dream home. Her excuse was that she could either a) have a really hot pool boy cleaning it all up without a shirt one or b) having a really hot pool boy cleaning it all up without a shirt on who is also her husband.

"Lucas Scott you better put me down right now or so..." But the rest of Brooke's comment was ignored when he threw her directly into the deep end. "Lucas Eugene you are so going to pay for this. I just got my hair done this morning. Do you know how amazing it look?"

"I think it looks pretty amazing right now." Lucas, steaming proudly from his job of getting Brooke into the pool, sat back down in the lounge chair, leaning with the palms of his hands behind his head relaxing.

"How do you feel about this?" Without drying off one bit, the sun would dry her in a couple of minutes with the way the heat was feeling, Brooke shook her hips walking innocently over to Lucas. She knew his quirks and want will really get him going. She sat on his lap, making sure to squeeze the excess water out of her shoulder length hair all over his dry clothes. She shook her hips into his lap, laughing loudly at his complaints.

"Like really you two?" Haley stood with her brood of three and Nathan at the gate of the backyard.

"That's all her, Hales, I've done nothing to disserve this god awful treatment she has given me."

"How is it that I have a really hard time believing that?" Haley smirked seeing right through her best friend. Choosing to ignore Lucas, Haley walked over to Brooke whispering in her ear, "from what I just saw, are you sure you two had a good reason to divorce?"

"_I can't do this, Luke. I just can't anymore." Brooke was worn thin. She was exhausted with Teddy refusing to sleep in his own bed because Patrick told him that the Boogie Monster was under his bed and Rosalie deciding it would be the perfect time to get the stomach bug- even though Brooke knows she has no control over that, she was up all night. It was the sounds of Rosalie guts coming up or waking up to Teddy's foot in her face did it. She noticed one thing though, the cold side of the bed that was never slept int. _

"_What can't you do?" Lucas looked up from his computer screen. He was almost done with the next chapter to a book that his editor wanted by the end of the week. _

"_This," She pointed to between them, "Us. You get to get away while I'm stuck here because you never are home enough. I don't mind being with them, but at night I'd like to have my husband sleeping with me, not in a hotel room or at his office desk because he passed out on his computer."_

"_I'm home enough, Brooke. I was just home for two weeks. I can't help it if I have to go to New York every once in a while."_

"_More like you're home every once in a while and you're away more often than home." Brooke didn't realize if it was her emotions pilled up from being sleep deprived or if it was just the truth that she was holding in coming out. _

"_What do you want me to do?"_

"_Be a part of this family." Brooke left the room not saying another word to him. _

"There were damn good reasons, Hales." Brooke shook off the memory sighing. "Some people are just better off as friends than husband and wife."

"Well those people aren't married for fourteen-years before just up and announcing at a family dinner, casually might I add, that you two were getting a divorce."

"Oh shush." Brooke laughed. "What can I do for you grateful Haley James Scott?"

"You go get dressed, the boys are in charge. We are going shopping for this weekend." Brooke's love of shopping was rubbing off on every female in the Scott family. "Em, you want to come with?" Haley always offered the older teen the chance to accompany Brooke and Haley whenever possible.

"Shopping? I'm in." Em climbed out the pool quickly. "Let me get dressed."

"Maybe you can get some money out of your dad, after all he ruined my hair today."

"I'll work my charm, Mom." Emmeline after all learned from the best.

"Shopping, here we come."

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"I can't believe you and Em talked me into this dress. I got saggy tits and big hips now thanks to super sperm." Brooke's voice was muffled as she stood in the closet trying on her dress that according to Em, she had to buy for her date. "I can't wear this."

"Brooke, stop your bitchin' and get out here. You probably look amazing. I would be in heaven to have six kids and still be able to wear a size four." Haley flipped through the magazine while relaxing on Brooke's bed. She told Nathan that she was just going to help Brooke get ready, like the old high school days. That was four hours ago and she still was at the Davis-Scott house. "Now let me see!"

Nervously, Brooke exited the closet wearing a wrap style dress in an emerald green color that accented her eyes perfectly. Her hair was still in curlers on top of her head and her gold jewelry popped against the jeweled tone dress.

"Damn it, Tigger. You look amazing." Haley's jaw dropped. "I always thought since I had less kids I'd get the rockin' bod. Guess Tutor Girl is wrong for once. I'll admit it."

"Really? It's not too much? I mean I'm not use to this whole dating thing, Hales. I don't think I can do it."

"Do it has anything to do with an blonde guy, about six feet, with blue eyes?"

"No it does not." Brooke gritted her teeth. "Are you ever going to drop that?"

"Drop what? That Tree Hill High power couple divorced because they were both to idiotic to admit their wrongdoings?" Haley stared at her. "Oh of course not. It will be soon enough that you two will snap out of it and realize you're meant to be together."

"I'm going to ignore that Haley. You told me it was time to move on so I am. I'm making you happy."

"But it's with the wrong guy."

"Just help me get ready, I have thirty minutes till I need to leave." Brooke looked at the clock and her nerves set in tremendously.

"You'll be fine." Haley assured her. "Just be yourself B."

Forty minutes later, Brooke pulled up to a little Italian restaurant that Owen asked her to meet him at.

"You got this Brooke Davis, you got this." Brooke mumbled, composing herself before she exited the car. Looking around, she found the one face she recognized from the website and her smile grew. She became excited to start this whole dating scene again. It was exciting and new, while still a little nervous. She walked up the familiar face and introduced herself with a smile and the date went on.

"So tell me about yourself." Owen asked sipping his fourth or fifth beer of the evening.

Brooke forced a smile on her face, silently sighing. "I'm a fashion designer, I do all the drawings and designing the clothes. I run a magazine. But mostly I'm a mom about 24/7." A true smile did fall on her face when she mentioned her kids.

"You got kids?" Owen looked shocked. Did he not read her dating profile?

"Six of them." Brooke nodded along.

"Does this mean you have a loose vagina now? Cause I don't do that whole fucking with a loose vagina."

Brooke practically choked on the wine she was sipping. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I mean I only joined it to get fucked. I thought a lonely divorce lady would be an easy lay." Owen sat there like nothing was wrong with his comments compared to Brooke's face.

Brooke grabbed her purse, throwing a twenty on the table before standing. "You are nothing but a disgusting pig." Brooke hissed through her clenched teeth before storming out of the resturant. She instantly pulled out her phone to call Haley, who of course did not answer. "Haley Bob James Scott you are in so much trouble! Call me back, now."

Who said it wouldn't be easy getting back to dating? Because of right now, Brooke was done with it.

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**Can I say that I'm so excited that all of you enjoy this story? It makes me so happy because I have so many ideas for it! If you have any bad dating stories, I would love to hear them and may add them in here. Please tell me what you think! Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**Stomach virus is officially gone! Partying time! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm nervous that you won't like the next date, but trust me, I have a plan for this one. You just have to wait and see! Please let me know what you all think. I'm loving the reviews I've been getting. So far, ten reviews per chapter. Ah-fucking-mazing. Please let me know what you think! Reviews keep me company!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun**

**Chapter Three: And He's Pointed It At Me**

"Brooke? You home?"

"Oh yes, Lucas. Just walk in without knocking." Brooke rolled her eyes dramatically. She wasn't really in the mood to deal with Lucas or anyone today. She was still simmering in her date from hell and Haley's persistence to just go on one more, this time it's a friend of Haley's.

"Well technically at one point, this was my house too. So does that count?" Lucas plopped down on her couch. He was driving around, wasting time and what better way to waste it then with annoying Brooke.

"You really need to do something." Brooke threw her magazine on the coffee table. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing. I just didn't have anything better to do." Lucas shrugged smirking. Anything to annoy Brooke is good for him.

"Go be a father and do something with the kids." Brooke suggested. She just really didn't want to be in mommy mode tonight.

"How was your online dating life?" Lucas probed for answers. He probably wasn't going to get them, but he could try.

"Ask Haley if you want to know. I'm not talking to her." Brooke offered. "By the way, you're needed at Sully's school tonight."

"Umm why?"

It was last minute kind of thing, in Brooke's mind at least. Sully tried hiding things from the duo constantly. Brooke thought he was just embarrassed of them, but Lucas just suspected that his middle son wanted nothing to do with him. It wasn't always like that, though.

"_Daddy," a freckled red-headed toddler stumbled running into his father's arms. _

_Lucas, who's smile shined brightly, reached down and grabbed the boy into his arms. "Sully." Lucas laughed getting a sloppy wet kiss from the boy. "How's my buddy today?"_

"_We work on cars?"_

_That was his favorite thing. Cars. Any kind, any model. He loved them. _

"_Not tonight, bud. It's basketball night." _

_With the mention of the sport, Sully's face fell. Unlike Patrick, Sully hated the sport. Brooke was thankful for this but Lucas was not. _

"_No ball."_

"_Yes ball, bud. I gotta go coach Patrick's team." _

"_I ready daddy!" Patrick ruined the moment for father and son as he came running in. _

"_Okay," Lucas smiled he didn't even get to say hello to his pregnant wife. "Go wait in the car, Paddy."_

_Sully snapped. His face turning red with anger and tears falling from his eyes. "No daddy! Truck!"_

"_Play cars with mommy. Mommy loves playing it." Lucas looked over and Brooke was waddling into the room. _

_Brooke looked gorgeous as can be. Her expanded stomach looked plump over the thinness of her body. Six-year-old Em stood tall next to her. _

"_Come on Lil' Man. I think I can be a good race car driver." Brooke encouraged. She understood Lucas's need to work hard to support their ever growing brood, but he also kept the important relationships going with one-on-one time with each child. Brooke reached for Sullivan who screamed and kicked as he held on tightly to Lucas. "Okay, let's go. Daddy will be home soon again."_

"_I'm sorry, Sul."_

"Family night, and I can't go." Brooke smiled up at him. She hated going to the school. All the preppy mother's and father's who think they are smarter than everyone, and most of them are. Brooke was proud of how Sully was. How he was unique in his own way. "And well since I can't go, you need too go."

"I hate that fucking school." Lucas sighed. "Tell me again why we okayed him to go there?"

"Because he is too smart for his own good, Luke. We've been over this. Pay attention for once." She complained. "Gosh,"

"And where will you be?"

"Haley set me up with one of her friends. I'm not sure." She shrugged. "Haley's making me and you know how much she'll keep pecking till I give in. So I did."

"You're so killing me here, B." Lucas huffed running his hand through his hair. "Killing me in a slow and painful death. If I have to sit through family night, you should too."

"Well for once I have something more important to do than family night. You, Sir Lucas, are going to go and have a good time."

"What if I say I have a date?" Lucas offered.

"A date, with what your hand? Yeah, that's a normal daily date Lucas." Brooke laughed playfully.

"I have other girls to do that for me since you're not very helpful anymore."

"Gross, I do not even want to know." Brooke shook her head laughing. "That's too much information, Lucas Eugene."

"I'd always loved getting in Brooke Davis's pants." Lucas earned a nice slap to the back of the head. "I wish I could get use to that, but that fucking hurts!"

"Push out six kids and then talk to me."

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"Family night? Why is this how I have to spend a Friday night? I had plans you know!" Emmeline complained. "I'm a teenager now, I have more important things to do then hang out at my annoyingly strange brother's school full of nerds for a family day."

"None of us really want to go." Lucas spoke. "We need to support your brother."

"But we technically are not even a complete family." Patrick spoke. "Who knows maybe Sully was adopted so we wouldn't need to go to those stupid family events at that stupid nerd school."

"Be nice, all of you." Brooke warned. While Lucas acted like one of their six kids, Brooke always was the only one standing up for Sully.

"It's okay Mom, I'm use to it." Sully shrugged it off pushing his glasses up his nose. This sadden Brooke. He looked so sad, but at the same time he looked content and so use to it.

"You sure?" Brooke questioned more for herself and only received a nod.

"I'm okay. I'll be in the car." Sully's shoulders hung as he walked slowly out the front door.

"All of you behave tonight. Especially you two monkeys." Brooke pointed towards Gwenie and Teddy. "Rosie, no wondering off and please watch what you say." So the middle daughter was picking up Brooke's horrible mouth and Haley's non-filtered mouth.

"I'll try but I can't promise you anything Mommy." Rosie tossed her locks behind her shoulder.

"Oh Rosie, you are so moving in with me." Lucas threw the nine-year-old over his shoulder.

"You all get in the car, I need to talk to your father." Brooke watched as the kids walked off with Gwen and Teddy chasing after them.

"Yes the Queen?"

"Cut the act, Luke." Brooke's emotions were all mixing together. Her nerves were mixing with her worry and anger for Sullivan. "Be nice to Sully."

"I am nice to him. He's just so different."

"He's a lot like you if you get to know him. Don't dis him and torment him like the rest of them do. He's himself, let it stay that way."

"A little tough love may make him realize that like sports is okay. Now I need to leave to go to this stupid family night for you as you parade around town with whatever guy it is of the week. Enjoy having your legs open." Lucas stunned Brooke walking over and slamming the front door.

Brooke stood there stunned. They haven't had any confrontation like this, ever. Even during the divorce. She pulled herself together quickly to get herself for this date.

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

She checked her watch before checking her make-up one last time before entering another restaurant. She shook her thought of Lucas's comment and pushed through the nerves to go inside and meet this mysterious man.

"You must be Brooke? Right?"

"Yes, and you must be Julian?" Brooke stood in awe. Haley's list of single male friends must be filled with hot male species of human.

This Julian fellow stood in a simple plaid button down and dark jeans. He had curly brown hair was uncontrollable and she just wanted to run her hands through his hair.

"So Brooke, tell me about yourself. I was told so many great things about you from Haley but let's see if they are true."

"Oh gosh. Haley told you things?" Brooke laughed embarrassingly; a blush color fell to her already rosie cheeks. "I am terrified at what she said. She told me some not so good things."

"Trust me it was all good things." Julian's smile lessened the nerves Brooke was having. "So she says you have kids?"

"Six annoying ones." Brooke teased. "I got to love them though, somehow." She was joking around. "They're crazy and sometimes I wonder why I had all of them but if I think about it, I don't think I can see myself without anyone of them."

"Six? Wow." He sat shocked. In the seconds of silence, Brooke's smile disappeared. She thought he was judging her on it; judging her on her kids. She was getting the nervous feeling in her stomach right about now. "I have one, a teenage daughter. I do not know how you handle six kids when I can barely handle the one. Tell me great mother, how do you do it?"

"Patients and laughter, and possible a bottle of wine a week." Brooke joked, or so Julian thought.

The rest of the night went like this. Jokes, laughs, smiles and conversations on getting to know each other happened. Before they knew it, three hours have passed and the conversation was still strong. Till Brooke's phone range.

"Excuse me one moment." Brooke walked away from the table. "Yes?"

"_We kind of have a little dilemma right now." _Lucas's voice was low and shaking.

"And what would that be, Luke, that you had disturbed me?"

"_Sully kind of is missing. We came back to the condo and yeah, I thought he went to his room and he wasn't there. I went back to the school and no Sullivan."_

"Kind of missing? What the hell did you do?" Brooke's voice rose. "Scratch that. I'll be there." She hung up the phone and walked inside sadly. "I'm going to need to head out."

"This date going that bad?"

"Not at all. Just a stupid ex-husband who lost a kid." Brooke shrugged it off. "But definitely call me. I'd love to see you again."

"I'd love you see you too." Julian, being a gentleman, walked Brooke out to her car. "Call me and tell me how tonight goes. I hope your kid is safe."

"Thanks, Julian." Brooke was about to climb into her car when Julian pulled her for a kiss.

"I'll be waiting for you, Brooke."

Brooke looked in her review mirror till she couldn't see Julian anymore. Damn her ex-husband for not being able to keep up with six kids.

Damn him right now.

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**Please leave a review! Reviews make me happy!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**So I got asked some questions and I'm going to answer them for you all. **

** 1. This is going to be a Brucas story.  
**** 2. Sullivan's hair is red like Rachel's. It can happen, my brother had red hair when everyone else has brown hair.  
**** 3. Luke will come around with Sully. I have a plan for that.  
**** 4. Brulian may be around for a little, if you all can handle it. There will be no Brulian sex in this though! I promise you all that!**

**Hope that answered all your questions! Please enjoy chapter four! I lost one review the last chapter! Please keep them up so I don't loose anymore! I love the reviews they keep me going! Enjoy this one!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Four: Cause It's All Down Hill From Here**

"Lucas Eugene Scott what the fuck happened?" Brooke stormed into the condo, which held many summertime memories. She was even pretty sure that Rosie and Gwen were both conceived there.

"Stop with the middle name." Lucas held his hands up in defense. He was talking to the officer, trying to figure out what Sully was even wearing that day.

"When you stop losing kids or better yet stop pulling this shitty behavior on Sully then we will talk about the middle name." Brooke looked around the room noticing not many changes since they bought the place. Family pictures from different vacations and days at the beach were hanging on the walls and placed on the tables. Memories held in different places all over the beachfront condo.

"It wasn't really his fault Mom." Patrick looked up from his gamming system to look up at Brooke. "This is just normal Sully."

"Patrick, just because your brother does not like sports doesn't mean he's strange or deserve this behavior from all of you. What the hell happened tonight?"

"Mommy you said a bad word! It goes in the jar!" Teddy spoke up pointing to the almost filled jar on the kitchen counter.

"Not now, Teddy. Daddy will put more money in it later." Brooke sighed. "Em, Patrick, take them all upstairs and put something on to watch, got it?"

"Even in my house you're still bossy as hell." Lucas mumbled, but Brooke heard him loud and clear.

"Kids, upstairs now!" Brooke pointed to the stairs and watched how the five of them sprinted up the stairs. She didn't want to yell at Lucas in front of the kids and she wanted to talk to the police calmly.

"Mrs. Scott, maybe you could help us a little more. Do you remember what your son was wearing tonight so we can get that description out?" Officer Walters stated jotting notes on a small pad of paper.

"A Spiderman shirt, I think and jeans." Brooke tried to remember. She was in a rush this morning and afternoon and didn't pay much attention to the clothing her kids wore. "He might have a flannel over it."

"Thank you, we'll get this description out and contact you if anything comes from it. We have officers searching but it's still isn't considered a missing persons case till the child is missing for a day or so."

"I'm going out to look for him, and you better too Lucas. If anything has happened to him, you better hide."

"He's fine, Brooke. Just trying to get some attention, that's all." Lucas's reasoning wasn't setting well with Brooke. She was fuming and his ideas were only making it worse.

"If he was fine he wouldn't be getting picked on by his own father and siblings every single second he is around you all." Brooke ran her hands threw her wavy locks. "I tell you time and time again, Luke, but you don't listen to me. He's a little boy still who shouldn't be picked on by his own flesh and blood."

"We don't pick on him. He just doesn't want to do things that we want to do."

"Because he doesn't like basketball means nothing. He reads like crazy- just like you. Bond over that because I don't even know most of the books he reads. Just get to know him."

"It's hard, Brooke. I've tried but all he wants to talk about is those stupid Pokémon or shit like that. I don't know any of that."

"Well I do know one thing, that boy loved working on cars with you. Next time you need to do anything to the mustang, ask him to help. He knows a lot about cars. Take him to the car show next week." Brooke insisted. "Now I'm going to find our son since you could care less."

"Really, B?" Lucas yelled running after her. He has many memories of running after her, but this one he figured he would always remember.

"Someone has to be the parent here." Brooke climbed in her car. "I'm gonna drive around. You do whatever the fuck you do lately, Lucas."

Now it was Lucas's turn to stand in shock as Brooke drove off. He ran into the house knowing he had to make it all better. "Kids, get down here now!"

"But Barbie's on daddy and you know how much I love Barbie." Gwen stood at the top of the stairs with her hands on her hips, a true miniature Brooke. "Mommy let's me watch it all the time."

"Well then you can watch it later, Gwendolyn." Lucas never used full names unless he meant business and the kids knew that.

"So we are going to find Sully and you all are going to start being nicer to him, okay?" Lucas warned. He stood in front of all five kids, Em more into her cell phone and Patrick was playing his portable video game system but they were still in front of him. "Cell phone and game system away."

"I was talking to someone important." Em pouted when Lucas grabbed the cell phone from her hands. "This is unfair."

"What is unfair is the way you all treat Sully." Lucas corrected her. "Your mother is right, we all need to change how we treat him."

"He's weird, daddy!" Teddy announced giggling at the thought.

"Teddy, that's not nice."

"But Patrick said it first!"

"Patrick," Lucas looked at him. His older son sat there with a smirk on his face. "Change the thinking and behavior."

"Oh come on, Dad." Patrick argued. "He's weird. He goes to a school for strange kids. He's not like us, he probably is adopted after all."

"Trust me, he is not adopted." Lucas declared. "Your mother broke my hand going into labor with him." He shivered at the thought. "He may be different, but he's still your brother and deserves respect you all have."

"Rosie doesn't respect me daddy, she locked me in a closet when Lydia was here." Gwen snuggled into Lucas's lap. "Mommy yelled at her."

"That wasn't very respectful, Rosalie." Lucas gave his middle daughter the death glare. She was the full picture of middle child syndrome; silent but evil.

"It was Lydia's idea." Rosalie shrugged it off and continued to bicker with Gwen.

"Okay, let's get back to the topic of your brother guys," Lucas stopping the girls. "We are going to go look for him, and when we find him, you will all be nice. Got it?"

"I can't promise anything." Patrick nodded along. He really wasn't paying much attention to his father's speech, it reminded him of his mother's one earlier in the day and he really didn't care that much.

"Well if you want to see this again," He held up the electronic, "then you will behave."

"That's harsh, Pops." Patrick frowned knowing better then to talk back.

"Well sometimes you need to be harsh, Patrick. All of you in the car, now."

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"Sully, where are you?" Brooke spoke to herself in a whisper. She pulled her jacket tighter around her body as she walked around the almost abandon park. It was the only place she could imagine him to be. Since Sully was younger he loved going to the park and just exploring it.

"Talking to yourself now?" The voice made Brooke turn around nervously.

"What are you possibly doing here?"

"I had to pick up my daughter from the park. According to a sixteen-year-old, hanging at the park on a Friday night is the cool thing to do. I don't really believe her but hey, you have to trust them."

"Yeah, I wouldn't trust her too much on that idea." Brooke laughed.

"What are you doing here?"

"In search of a missing child." Brooke let a frown replace her smile. "Sullivan is missing."

"Let me get this straight, you named your kid Sullivan like Monsters Inc?"

"I was high on pain meds, so shoot me?" Brooke shoved his shoulder.

"Want some help?"

"You don't need to Julian."

"I'm offering," He smiled. "I know the missing kid feeling. Whenever Sam, my daughter, got mad at me when she was a kid she'd take off running to where ever before I caught up with her."

"At least I'm not the only parent who loses kids." Brooke laughed it off. "Last time we were here he loved the trails, so that's were I'm hoping to find him."

"Then lets go." Julian guided her towards the wooden trails the use to capture Sullivan's attention.

"Sully!" Brooke yelled down the path. "Sully come on buddy, I know you're here."

"Mom?" Sullivan lifted his head up as he sat on the bench.

"Buddy, don't ever scare me like that again." Brooke wrapped her arms around him tightly. "You're old enough to know not to run away."

"I didn't. Dad left without me." Sullivan looked sad. "I started walking home."

Julian stood there awkwardly watching the mother and son interaction. He didn't know if he should say something or just leave them alone. In the end he decided to stay incase something happened.

"I'm gonna kill your father." Brooke still hugged Sullivan tightly. "But first I need to call him to tell him you're alright and then call off the police search for you."

"Police search?"

"Yeah, we got worried Sul." Brooke smiled still hugging him. She couldn't stop. "Why don't you hang with Julian here why I call everyone?"

"How do you know my mom?" Brooke heard Sullivan ask as she walked away to call Lucas.

"_Did you find him?"_

"At the park. Lucas Eugene you are so dead meat! How the hell do you leave him at the school? Are you out of your mind?"

"_Shit."_ Lucas cursed silently. "_It was a complete accident. I was sure I had all six kids in the car with me."_

"Well you didn't Lucas."

"_I realize that now, Brooke. I'll be right there." _He hung up not really want to get the wrath of Brooke for his mistake.

Ten minutes later, Brooke stood with Julian and Sullivan at the entrance of the park. Sullivan was educating Julian on the different Spiderman comics. Brooke was enjoying watching Sullivan smile for once.

"Brooke," Lucas called pulling up with all the kids. Shortly after they all pilled out of the car and ran out.

"He's fine." She didn't bother looking at him. Right now Brooke was pissed off at him. She wanted never to see him again if that could possibly happen.

"Sul, come on. Let's go home." Lucas could feel the anger radiating from Brooke and he didn't want to deal with it. He knew he messed up but as long as Sullivan was okay then it was all good to him.

"I'm not going." Sully stated pushing his glasses up. "I'm going home."

"Then can we go home?" Emmeline asked, "Savannah is having everyone over tonight and they're still all there so I can still go spend the night." Savannah was their neighbor's daughter.

"No," Brooke declared. "Everyone is going with their dad."

"Who are you?" Gwen asked pointing to Julian who was standing back away from the group.

"I'm Julian." He introduced himself.

"He's my friend, Gwenie." Brooke smiled. She could tell from the look on Lucas face that he did not like this at all.

"No, he's your boyfriend just admit it mommy." Rosalie spoke. "Lydia says if you're not married and you're old you have a boyfriend."

"Umm..." Brooke was stunned, she could comprehend the words to say to fix this. Before she knew it, Gwen was screaming in tears and Emmeline had a pout on her face, giving Brooke a horrid look.

"I'm moving in with Dad." Emmeline declared. "He at least doesn't choose a guy over us." Emmeline stomped over to the car.

Brooke never saw this coming and knew it was only the start.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**This chapter is dedicated to **_**VFBFan**_** who left the longest review possible and told me like it is. I appreciated it and I'm going to follow through with some of your ideas! Thank you! Hope you enjoy!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Five: Can't Help But Go On and On**

"_I'm moving in with Dad." Emmeline declared. "He at least doesn't choose a guy over us." Emmeline stomped over to the car. _

_Brooke never saw this coming and knew it was only the start. _

She took off after Emmeline. Never would she allow her kids to disrespect her in front of anyone. On her walk after Em, she turned back and gave an apologetic to Julian who was waiting with five kids staring at him and on very unhappy Lucas staring at him. "Emmeline Kate!"

"What do you possibly want?" Em hissed turning around on her heels with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Do not talk to me like that." Brooke hissed right back to her, it probably not the best way to get to Em but it worked. "I am your mother, not some random person on the street. You will treat me beater than you've been."

"Make me."

"I will if that's what it takes. Gosh damn it, Em. I finally am becoming happy and of course you turn into your ass of a father."

"He's not an ass! He at least cares about us!"

"Care about you? Em, I give everything for you all. I gave up my career for you six and I'd do it again." Brooke ran her hands through her hair. "I mean really Em?"

"Really what Mother?"

"I just can't believe this. All of you." Brooke shook her head in disbelief. She gave up, she couldn't handle it; everything she did wasn't good enough and slowly she was falling apart. "I just can't." She paused for a moment trying to control her emotions but it was hard when the one thing you love is pushing you away. "If you want to live with your father after I went on one date, then fine Em. You do that."

Em stood there stunned as her mother walked away. "Mom!"

"I'm not dealing with it." Brooke called after in an immature way but she couldn't care less about it. "Whoever is coming home with me, we are leaving now."

Soon Sullivan, Rosalie- who didn't have a care in the world right now, Gwendolyn and Teddy who was teetering back and forth. He didn't know who to go with and soon enough tears were falling from his eyes.

"I no choose!" Teddy cried out. "Mommy and Daddy go together!"

"Teddy Bear," Brooke frowned, "It doesn't matter who you go with, and you'll still see us both."

"I go with daddy." Teddy decided but then started second guessing himself. "Wait,"

"Bud just go to daddy's, okay?" Brooke crouched down to Teddy's level. "I'll get you tomorrow after Patrick's basketball game, okay?" Brooke hugged Teddy before climbing into her call. "I'll call you Julian."

When Brooke pulled away leaving Emmeline, Patrick and Teddy with Lucas, he made sure they were in the car before having a few words with Julian.

"Stay away from Brooke." Lucas warned shoving him slightly. "Stay away from my family."

"If I remember correctly, she's not married to you anymore. She's free game and I enjoyed spending time with her tonight. I plan to have time with her again. Now if you excuse me, I have my own daughter to get to." Julian walked away.

Lucas was fuming. He didn't know what Brooke saw in that man, it was nothing good in his eyes.

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"Brooke Davis-Scott what the fuck happened last night?" Haley yelled walking into her former sister-in-law's house. "Why did Nathan have to go get Lucas from a bar?"

"Good morning to you to, Hales. Coffee?"

"No coffee, tell me what the hell happened? You had a date night with Julian- which I hear went very well- and some how you end up with Lucas pissed off, nothing really new with that." Haley ranted on and on.

"Mom you said a bad word, if you can say hell then I can." Lydia stood almost as tall as her mother with the honey blonde hair and her father's blue eyes and personality.

"No one is saying hell unless you are thirty and older." Haley laughed. "Go find Rosie."

"Upstairs, Lydie." Brooke snickered watching her youngest niece run off in search of Rosalie. "How does it feel to have a little female Nathan in the world?"

"Shut it, B. You have one teenage daughter and soon you'll have two at the same time. Now tell me what happened with Lucas."

"Who cares about Lucas? I am done with it. Done with him. He's not welcomed in my house without being invited in. No more random visits." Brooke calmly stated sipping her coffee.

"It's supposed to be Nathan and Haley and Brooke and Lucas forever."

"Well when your ex is an asshole who treats his own kids like shit then I have a problem."

"What did he do so I know when I beat his ass?" Haley stole Brooke's coffee. "I need to be prepared at the game today."

"Don't remind me that I have to see his face." Brooke groaned. "He was a complete ass Hales. How does a father forget their son at school, _again_?" She emphasized the word again. "Let alone treat your son like shit and have the rest of the kids treat him like shit?"

"I get it now."

"There's not much to get Hales."

"Oh yes there is. Lucas is jealous."

"Jealous of what? He hates Sully."

"It's true Aunt Haley." Sullivan walked into the kitchen with his head up higher than it usually is. He had a hop in his step which made Brooke happier that the once happy Sully was returning.

"When you hear it coming from a eleven-year-old then you know it's true." Brooke nodded as the house phone rang. "Hello?" She answered it, not really sure who would be calling her at nine in the morning.

"_Brooke? It's Julian. I just wanted to call and make sure you're okay."_

"I'm okay," Brooke added a smile as she spoke into the phone. "More than okay this morning, strangely."

"_Well I was wondering if you'd like to do something later today? I know you may be busy because of the mess of last night, but I just wanted to see. I had a lot of fun last night. At least I know one of your kids is as normal as their mother." _He joked around playfully.

"Should I be taking that as a joke or a compliment? If you're trying to get a second date, you might want to try a little harder."

"_Well Brooke, would you accompany me on a date tonight?" _

"Sadly, I promised my daughter a sleepover party tonight. Three nine-year-olds and I'm already ready to shoot myself for agreeing to that. But this afternoon I am free after Patrick's basketball game. I'll get Haley to take the kids for waking me up early without coffee."

"_How dare she?"_ He laughed. "_What time's the basketball game? I'll come for some of it and then we go to an early dinner?"_

"It start's at 1 so probably be over by three. I just need to be back at 6."

"_It's at the school right? If so I'll pick you up then."_

"I'll see you then Julian." Brooke hung up the phone with a smile on her face. "Haley Bob, can you do me a big favor?"

"What is it Miss. I got the biggest crush in the world right now?" Haley teased. "Do I know how to pick lucky men for you or what?"

"Ignoring that, I need a ride to the game today, and maybe you can watch Sully, Rosie and Gwen?"

"Can't Luke do it?"

"I don't want him around here." Brooke responded calmly.

"I can stay home, Mom. I don't need to go." Sullivan spoke up.

He was never home alone before for more than a couple of minutes. It wasn't that Brooke didn't trust him; she did more than some of her other kids. "I don't know Sul."

"Please? So I don't need to go to Dad's?" Sully was begging. "I'll stay up in my room."

"Fine, Sullivan, you can stay home, but, I want you to check in with me every hour okay?" Brooke kissed his red locks.

"I'll drive ya'll." Haley gave in. "Be ready soon."

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"Mommy you did come!" Teddy ran over to Brooke as she walked into the old gym that held memories from her own high school days.

"I told you I'd be here, Teddy Bear." Brooke lifted him into her arms.

"Daddy let us stay up last night! It was so much fun! We watched movies and ate popcorn!"

"Sounds a blast buddy." Brooke faked a smile. "Let's go sit and hope your brother wins."

"Daddy and Uncle Nathan will make them win!" Teddy enthusiasm shined through. "Look I even got a shirt!" He unzipped his sweatshirt that Brooke swore was once Sully's and underneath was a blue Junior Raven's shirt with "little couch" written on the back.

"Awesome Little Dude."

"Brooke." Lucas stayed monotone as he said hello.

"Luc-ass." Brooke stared at him, not giving him more than five seconds of her time before joining Haley and the rest of the kids on the bleachers. Even Karen and Andy showed up to cheer on Patrick in his semi-final basketball game.

"Damn it Bro, what did you do to her?" Nathan laughed. He had the wrath of Brooke before and it's not fun.

"Don't even get me started." Lucas sighed turning his attention back to the array of young teenage boys of the court.

"How are you, Brooke? I haven't seen you around lately?" Karen asked nicely, but to Brooke it was like she was probing for more information.

"I'm good Karen," She smiled nicely.

"Where's everyone?" Karen asked. That was when Brooke looked around and Emmeline wasn't there and of course Sully wasn't there.

"Emmy didn't want to come." Teddy spoke from where he was sitting on Karen's lap.

"Oh I see." Brooke frowned but wasn't going to give in to Emmeline's games. She kept checking her watch over and over again. Counting down the minutes till she gets to see Julian again. Was she proud of Patrick and his team for getting this far but she was still looking forward to tonight.

Her attention fell to the court and till the final quarter when a face at the doorway that she's been waiting to see. Brooke waved him over to her which captured Lucas's attention.

"Really B?" Haley questioned. "You invited him to come here?"

"I told you already, Hales. He's picking me up for an early dinner and that's that."

"This is so going to end badly." Haley mumbled.

"And Tree Hill's own Junior Raven's are going to states!" The announcer spoke loudly, his voice echoing through the gym.

"Let's get out of here before something happens." Brooke said goodbye to her kids that were in the stand, making a reminder to Rosie that her friends were coming later, and became the leader of the pack guiding Julian far away from Lucas.

"Let her go, Luke." Haley warned. "Doing something right now is not the best."

"I can't believe she brought him here! It's what the first date!"

"Second, but that's besides the point. Celebrate with Patrick about winning. Make it enjoyable." Haley pleaded.

"I need to talk to her, and I'm going to talk now." Lucas shoved his way from Haley and went out the door.

"Nathan go get him before something absolutely stupid happens!" Haley demanded shoving Nathan towards the gym double-doors and following after him. She knew Karen could handle the kids for right now.

"Brooke!" Lucas screamed walking at a fast pace in the parking lot.

"What could you possible want right now, Lucas?" She turned on her heels to face him. "I'll meet you at the car Julian." Julian did not need to see the fight of ex-spouses right now.

"I think we need to talk." He was calm, but his nose was flaring was an indicator to Brooke that he was far from calm.

"Right now is not the best time, Lucas. I have places to go."

"Or guys to run wild with, high school Brooke coming out again?" Lucas felt proud for some reason after his snarky comment.

"Really? You going to pull that shit on me, fine then. Do it! I don't really fucking care anymore." Brooke hissed. "I don't give a damn what you want. Right fucking now I wish I never had to talk to you again, Lucas."

"Well sadly you're stuck with me because of our kids."

"I'm pissed at you because of them! Gosh damn it, Luke!" Brooke hissed louder. "I can't do this right now. Not now, not ever."

"Fuck!" Lucas screamed wanting to punch something. His anger was taking over his body.

"I told you Luke, now's not the best time to talk about it with Brooke."

"When the hell is a good time because lately its never a good time, Haley."

"Luke, calm down." Nathan stood there trying his hardest to relax. "Come on, you need a drink. A nice cold beer."

"I think maybe it's time to move on." Haley hated saying what she just did, but she knew she needed too. "She moved on, maybe you should too."

"Fine, whatever. Just tell me when." Lucas stormed back to the gym. A beer sounded amazing right now.

"Haley are you sure you are doing the best thing? They're both as stubborn as a mule."

"I have no clue anymore, Nathan." Haley suddenly stated.

Things can only go up from here, right?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**Sorry that the last chapter was so angry. I really didn't plan for it to be that angry but I had a very bad drama filled day and I took it out with the story. I apologize for that and hope this chapter makes up for it! I made it a little longer to also make up for it! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Six: Nobody Said It Was Easy**

Brooke was awoken in the middle of the night to the phone ringing. Looking at that number, she once memorized after dialing so many times a day. "Hello?"

"_Mommy?"_ Emmeline's voice sounded broken.

"Em? What's wrong? It's two in the morning." Brooke was worried. She hadn't heard from Em since the mess two weeks prior. She missed her and made sure Em knew that. Brooke would text her everyday with a simple _"Miss and love you Emmy"_ and would call her everyday. Trying to get in touch with her.

"_I want to come home." _

"Baby, what's wrong?" Brooke was in search for some answer. "Did something happen at your dad's?"

"_I'm not there tonight. I don't want to stay here anymore. Please mommy. Come and get me."_ Emmeline cried out with tears.

Brooke let out a sigh as she sat up in bed and turned on her bedside lamp. "Baby I need to know where you are and what happened."

"_Jane's house. I just don't want to be here anymore. That's it."_

"Em, you need to tell me the exact reason." Brooke became the worried mother.

"_I can't Mom."_

"Yes you can baby doll. I'll come get you in the morning if there's a good reason behind it."

"_I just don't want to be here anymore, okay?" _

"In the morning, I'll come and get you, bright and early baby. I can't come get you right now. I can't leave Gwen and Rosie here alone." Brooke sadly pointed out. If she could she would rush and get Em and hold her till the tears stop like she did when Em was a baby.

"_I can't stay here anymore, please. Dad's not answering the phone and I just don't want to be at Jane's anymore."_ Em begged.

Brooke quickly calculated how long it would take to get to Jane's house from hers, a maximum on five minutes there and then five minutes back. If she turned on the alarm and quickly went then she'd be back before the three woke up. "Okay baby, I'm on my way but please tell me what happened."

Emmeline was best friends with Jane since she was five years old. _"Thank you Mommy."_

"I love you baby girl, hang in there. I'm on my way." Brooke rushed out of bed, quickly throwing on her robe to rush out the door.

Five minutes later she was parked in front of Jane's house as Em ran up to her.

"Just drive, mom!" Em declared. Her cheeks were red from tears and her blue eyes were bloodshot.

"Em, did something happen? Should I call Jane's mom?"

"No, Mom. Don't call her, please." Em stared out the window. "I just didn't want to stay."

"Baby," Brooke sighed. "I need to know what happened." Brooke parked her SUV in the driveway and paused. "Em, come on. Come to my room and we need to talk."

"I'm not in the mood to talk, Mommy."

"Emmy, you only use the name Mommy when something terrible happened. Please tell me baby, I can help." Brooke whipped a falling tear from Emmeline's face. "I want to help."

"Can you just hold me mommy?" Em begged crawling into Brooke's bed.

"Of course I can, after I text your dad to tell him you are here." Brooke scrolled through her contacts till she reached Lucas's name and sent a quick message saying _"Em's with me."_ Brooke kissed Emmeline's forehead. "Goodnight baby."

"Night mommy."

By morning, the whole house was awake and Em was waiting for Lucas after grabbing more of her clothes to bring with her.

"Dad's getting me soon." Em spoke plopping down on the couch. "He wants Sully to go with him. Something about a car show being in town and manly bonding."

"I don't want you leaving till you tell me what happened baby." Brooke sat next to her. Rosie was over at Nathan and Haley's for the day to spend it with Lydia, Sully was upstairs tinkering with some toy that Brooke had no clue what exactly it was and Gwendolyn was stuck in front of the television.

"There's nothing to talk about. Jane just wasn't nice so I didn't want to stay. Is there a problem with that?"

Brooke sighed asking, "Why wasn't she nice?" She paused waiting for a response knowing that Em was a lot like herself. Everything was hidden inside till one little thing set her off. Brooke will just have to wait for that one little thing. "Let me grab Sully and you two can go," Brooke heard the car horn honking. She knew he didn't want to deal with the mess and never came to the door again since their fight at Patrick's game.

Was the fight uncalled for? Yes. Did she act like an adult during it? No. Did she let her emotions get the best of her? Yes.

Brooke knew the shit she done, and some probably deserved. She just wanted to move on with her life for her kids so they don't have to deal with the anger anymore.

"Sully?" She knocked on the door. "You're dad's here for you. He's going to take you to a car show."

"I don't want to go with him." Sullivan swiveled around in his desk chair to face Brooke who sat down on his bed.

"Well this time you don't have a choice." She knew that was best. If she gave Sullivan a choice, he would always choose not to do it if it involved Lucas but since Lucas was trying to try and bond with Sully, Brooke had to give it to him. "I know you don't want to go, Bud, but please, for me?"

"I guess." Sullivan always made sure that his mother was happy.

"You don't need to stay there tonight, just spend some time with him during the day and I'll get you tonight."

"Okay," He put his shoes on and slowly walked out of the bedroom.

"You can call me whenever you need too, but just give him a chance."

"Okay." He said a quick goodbye and walked out the door.

Brooke was tempted to go out, put on a brave front, and say hello; to be a bigger person over this situation, but something stopped her. Looking out the window she saw a blonde twig in the front seat and her anger grew. Jealousy? She didn't know why she was jealous. She had Julian who made her night with phone calls and flowers. He swept her off her feet.

"Gwenie, why don't we go do something?"

"Shopping?" Gwenie loved shopping; a definite Brooke gene.

"If you want to go shopping, then lets go shopping." Brooke laughed. Brooke didn't realize it but she's never spent one-on-one time with her youngest daughter. It was always Gwenie and Teddy packaged up together. She knew Gwen would love the one-on-one time; Brooke would even love it.

"Daddy only takes us book shopping. That's not fun." Gwenie shook her head back and forth. "I like shopping with her, Mommy."

"Then lets go find you a new pretty outfit."

"And sexy-sexy outfit for you!"

Brooke spit out the coffee she was sipping on. "Ummm, what?"

"Daddy says that all you're good for." Gwen just shrugged it off, confused on how concerned her mother was over the comment.

"Well daddy is gonna get it, G." Brooke tried brushing it off. She will ignore it and bring it up in a time that was just Lucas and her, no kids around at all. "But now, I want to go shopping with my favorite six-year-old. Maybe we start finding Rosie birthday gifts?"

"She needs more dresses mommy!"

"Then let's go get them."

**-X0-OTH-XO-**

"You excited about the car show?" Lucas was trying to make a conversation with Sullivan, a difficult task in itself.

"I guess." Sullivan kept his attention out the window. They were driving through town to go to lunch before dropping everyone at the condo to go, just Lucas and Sully.

"It should be fun, Sully." Lucas smiled through the rearview mirror. The car was silent beside Lucas's talking and the clicking of the game controls Patrick was playing.

"Who's that?" Sullivan ignored Lucas and asked Patrick. If anyone knew anything out of the kids, it was Patrick.

"Dad's girlfriend." The teen rolled his eyes. "Dumbest thing I've ever known. Just ignore her, it's not that hard."

"Let's go eat." Lucas pulled up in front of the café that was once his mother's and know was run by his ex-wife and his sister-in-law.

"I'm not hungry." Sullivan stayed in the car as everyone else climbed out. When he told his mother he'd go, he did not expect the whole family to be there.

"Then you still have to come in and sit with all of us." Lucas said sternly.

Things were always slightly different when it came to punishing Sullivan and punishing the rest of brood. He was more of the type of kid that one, never got punished and two, if he did, it was better to talk him through his emotions then just let him get grounded.

"I don't want to go with her." He didn't even know his father's girlfriend's name. "She's not family."

"Sullivan, I'm trying bud, I really am, but you need to give in a little. You're so fine with whomever your mother is dating; can you just give Peyton a chance? She's excited to meet you and go to the car show later. She has this old car that you'd love."

Sullivan looked up at him, wishing he never agreed to this, and climbed out stomping his way into the café. When he noticed his Aunt and Uncle there, he choice specifically to sit next to his Aunt Haley who was sitting at the other end of the table.

When the bell rang above the entrance, Sullivan's head moved quickly to see who it was.

"Daddy!" Gwenie screamed letting go of Brooke's hand and running into her father's arms.

"What are you doing here?"

"Mommy said we can get hot chocolate before we go shopping but it's not for sexy-sexy clothes cause mommy said she doesn't need those anymore since you and her aren't together cause you mean." Gwenie carried on.

"I did not say that, Gwendolyn." Brooke laughed embarrassed. She did want to bring up the whole sexy-sexy comment with Lucas but in front of her kids, her niece and nephew and her former in-laws probably wasn't the best idea. "We're shopping for Rosie's birthday." Brooke corrected her. Her eyes wondered around the table and spotted the blonde that was in the car earlier that day.

"Can I come if I get a toy?" Teddy tried to bargain with his mother.

"I can't promise anything, Teddy Bear, but if you want to come, you are more than welcomed too."

"Why don't you join us, Brooke? You still own half this place. You're more than welcomed to stay." Haley spoke this time. She felt the nerves radiating off of her friend and wanted to come up with a way to stop it.

"It's okay. I'll just grab the hot chocolates and go. Teddy, you coming with me?" Brooke asked walking behind the counter to make the hot drink that would warm them up on the cold Saturday. Teddy nodded from his father's lap, which he shared with Gwenie.

"So that's Brooke?" The girl friend asked, whispering it to Lucas.

"That is my mommy and she's prettier than you." Gwenie stated and Teddy nodded in agreement.

Brooke heard this and let out a snicker causing Lucas to stare at her with dagger.

"That wasn't very nice you two. Say you're sorry." Lucas demanded. "If you don't say you're sorry then you're staying with me instead of going shopping with mommy."

"Mommy says you don't apologize for what you believe is true." Gwendolyn stated word for word copying Brooke.

"Gwen, apologize." Brooke didn't want to say it but she knew the rules Lucas and her made on how they both back up each other's punishment- no matter if they believe in it or not.

Could Brooke stand him right now? No. That's why she decided not to stay for a meal with the bunch.

"Sorry." Gwenie stated crossing her arms over her chest. "Happy daddy?"

"No, not really." He placed Gwen and Teddy on the ground. "Go have fun with your mother."

Gwen looked at Lucas sadden by his response to her behavior. "Bye daddy." Gwen looked at her feet as she walked over and grabbed the hot chocolate waiting for her.

"We'll see them later, okay?" Brooke tried cheering Gwenie up. "Let's go find Rosie gifts."

"Can I come cause it's for my birthday?"

"Now Miss. Rosalie, did I ever let you come shopping for your birthday?" Brooke laughed. She was going to continue the birthday tradition they always have. She get the kids seven gifts. One from each sibling, usually that she takes shopping with her to pick out themselves, and then one gift from herself. After that she usually tells Lucas what to get her with what's left on her birthday gift.

"No." Rosalie complained.

"Have fun with Lydie, and Lydie don't teach her anymore new things unless approved by your parents." Brooke teased staring at Nathan since most of the information comes from him before she walked out the door.

"So Peyton, what do you do?" Haley tried starting a small conversation with the new lady in Lucas's life.

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"Ready to go, Sully?" Lucas asked guiding his middle son towards his girlfriend's old school Comet. "It's gonna be fun."

"I guess." Sully shrugged his shoulders climbing into the back of the car.

"Maybe you can tell me about some of the car." Peyton asked trying to get to know the boy.

When Haley introduced the two together, Peyton never imagined that this guy had six kids. In her mind no one has anymore than two to three kids in this day and age. When the six kids subject came up, she was shocked. She has a daughter, one that she see's every other weekend because of her busy schedule and her ex-husband's need to move away from the town, and that little time scares her to death. She's not meant to be a parent. It's not in her blood. These kids she needs to be sweet to, she guessed, and hopefully they'll move all back to their mom's house and she'd seem them every other weekend.

"No." Sully looked out the window. He was not having any of this handing with his dad. "Can I call Mom to come and get me?"

"Why would you do that? We haven't even gotten there yet." Lucas was shocked. He was trying, and trying hard this time. Having what Brooke said to him, simmered through his thoughts all week long. It made him realize he needed to change, and he wanted to change.

"Cause," Sullivan really didn't want to answer. He wanted his father to know all the thoughts going through his head.

"You use to love these car shows, bud."

"Yeah," he nodded knowing his father didn't see it. "Can you just take me home please?"

"If you want to go home, I'll take you home then." Lucas sighed. He felt like a failure. The one thing he tried to do to make up for the shitty passed behaviors towards Sullivan ended with Sullivan wanting to go home. Lucas wasn't going to stop him. He'll just possibly need to try harder next time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**So I can't sleep, and I have to be up in four hours... so I wrote and stalked Facebook. I should become a professional stalker of Facebook. I found Chad Michael Murray's personal Facebook by looking for his brother's then his. I found Jesse Lee Soffer's brother's but can't find his. I found Bethany Joy Lenz's mother's Facebook- her, Joy's, daughter is adorable and looks exactly like her when she was younger- and her ex-husbands! And finally I found Sophia Bush's parents Facebook accounts. I need a life. Seriously. It's insane my stalking Facebook skills. Okay enough of my rambling. Enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Seven: Happy Birthday Bash**

"All this for a ten-year-olds birthday?" Peyton walked hand in hand with Lucas towards his old home.

"Why can't I have a party like this?" A small curly hair brunette girl clung onto her mother's side.

"I can't offered a party like this, Jenny. Ask your father." Peyton rolled her eyes.

Balloons were tied onto the mailbox as an indication of the celebration. A huge "Happy 10th Birthday Rosalie!" banner hung across the front porch. All the colors were done in a tropical sense since that is what the girl wanted. When it came to kids parties, Brooke didn't spare a dime- also thanks to the custody agreement the stated Lucas was to pay for half the party. The crisp fall air brought a chill to the summer heat that left a month before. It was making him remember when Rosie came rushing into the world.

"You haven't seen anything, yet." Lucas let out a laugh guiding Peyton into the backyard. It's been a month since the whole run in with Brooke and Lucas was glad he hasn't seen her besides to pick up and drop off the kids. It brought time to cool down.

"Daddy!" Rosalie screamed running full speed ahead away from her friends towards her father near the backyard white picket fence gate that Brooke had to have. "You came."

"I couldn't miss my daughter's tenth birthday. You only turn double digits once." Lucas laughed. "Were are your clothes, baby?"

Rosalie was standing in her bathing suit shivering in the fall weather. "Mom turned the heater on so we could go swimming! You can't have a hula party without a pool, Daddy."

"Silly me for not knowing that fact." Lucas laughed. "Go get in the pool before you freeze." Lucas kissed her forehead before wishing her another Happy Birthday and watched as she skipped away. He placed the gift that Brooke directed him to buy, along with something he picked out himself on a table filled with gifts and walked towards everyone. "Gwenie, come here."

"Yes Meanie?" Gwenie gilled. She was upset from the afternoon before when Lucas refused to buy her ice cream before dinner.

"Be nice." Lucas warned. "Do you think you can play with Jenny here? She doesn't know anyone and I think you are the perfect girl to go play with."

"I guess I'll share my dolls with you." Gwen grabbed a hold of Jenny's hand and they ran off to play.

"They're safe right? Jake would kill me if something happened to her." Peyton nervously asked.

"Yeah, Gwendolyn couldn't hurt a fly." Lucas smiled. "Come on, Haley and Nate are around here somewhere, my Ma should be here too."

"Great." Peyton was nervous to be here, she felt like she didn't belong. Yes it was her boyfriend's kid's birthday and he wanted to go, of course, but she was never one for kids.

"Come on Haley and Nathan are here somewhere." Lucas dragged her through the small crowed.

"So you really invited him and her?" Brooke's best friend Rachel, who flew down to North Carolina from New York to celebrate her God-Daughter's birthday, like she does every year.

"I had to, Rachel." Brooke sipped her wine waiting for Julian to actually show up to keep her company. "Rosalie wanted Lucas here and now that the blonde bimbo is sticking around she tagged along."

"You're being very calm about this. Where's the B I know that wouldn't put up with this mess." Rachel snickered, shoving Brooke lightly. "I mean really? He waltz's in here like he owns this place." Brooke went to interrupt but Rachel stopped her. "Well yes he technically use to own it, Brooke but come on. He should have his own family parties and you have your own. It works out better so you'll never have to see him again if not need be."

"I don't want to do that to the kids." Brooke calmly stated. She repeated that over and over again in her mind since Lucas said he was bringing Peyton and her daughter with them. It was another reason she needed Julian here, to at least keep her calm because Rachel is just pushing for a fight. But Julian was running late. He got sent out to California a couple of days prior for work and was supposed to return sometime today. "They deserve some normalcy compared to the shit show these couple of months have been."

"I'm missing all the Brooke and Lucas drama?" Rachel pouted. "I love you two and drama. It makes for such an interesting show."

"Mom! The ovens beeping!" Em screamed from inside where she was planning on staying for the whole party. Since coming back from the sleepover, changes have been seen in Em. Brooke made the three kids who were staying at Lucas's to come home for school purposes; it was ridiculous to have the kids travel forty minutes to go to school every morning instead of a ten minute bus ride. Em started distancing herself. She was becoming more of a homebody instead of being out with her friends all the time. Brooke brought her worry to the school after noticing some hurtful text messages on her monthly cell-phone check, and all they responded was that she was at the normal age for girl drama and it will all work out eventually. Brooke hoped eventually happened sooner than later.

"Just take them out for me, please?"

"You're even cooking?" Rachel looked in disbelief. "Damn it, B, we need to get you out of this small town or you'll become Haley with the desperate housewife image."

"Hey, I think I like being a housewife." Haley joined in on the conversation. "I enjoy it very much."

"You've practically been a housewife as long as I've known you, Haley." Rachel snickered.

"With that, I'm going to go make sure Emmy doesn't burn herself. Will you two behave without punching each other?"

"So Hales, hows your lovely plan working out?" Rachel asked sarcastically.

"I'm going to say this once and probably the only time I will ever have too. I'm going to need your help because if not, all hells going to break loose. Lucas and Brooke are fighting all damn time."

"Tonight, we will come up with something." Rachel promised. "I'm here for a week and I'm not missing anything!"

"Great, you two agreeing on something? What the hell is going on in Tree Hill right now?" Nathan complained joining his wife and friend. "I mean, Dan and Karen are talking like nothing happened between them ever and even Royal and Mae made their presence known. It's like a horrible Scott reunion."

"So a normal day in Tree Hill?" Rachel teased.

**-XO-OTH-XO-  
**

"Lucas!" Brooke screamed out of the kitchen window that overlooked the big backyard. "I need your help." She needed someone to carry the cake. She wanted to get the cake done fast so that friends will soon leave- hopefully Peyton and Lucas too since Julian got stuck in California and Brooke didn't want to deal with them alone.

"I'll be right back." He kissed Peyton's forehead softly. Peyton stood now alone by the swing set with Gwen and Jenny playing and being asked to be pushed higher and higher.

"You must be Peyton?" Karen smiled softly walking over to the trio.

"Hi," Peyton waved a small wave.

"I'm Karen, Lucas's mom. He didn't get to introduce us to each other yet, so I thought I'd do it myself. You can't have a guy do everything for you now can you?"

"Grandma, push me higher!" Gwen smiled giggling. "I want to swing high as the moon!"

"That's too high for a Baby Girl like you."

"I'm six now! Almost seven!"

"You're the baby girl of the family, Gwen." Karen pointed out. "You'll always be my Baby Girl Granddaughter." Karen tickled Gwen's sides. "So what do you do for a living? Lucas hasn't really talked to me about you much."

"Oh, I own a record company."

"She sees all these cool people!" Jenny spoke up proudly.

"That's a cool job then." Karen smiled. It was totally fake though. Karen saw similarities in her son that she saw in his new girlfriend but as the saying goes, opposites attract.

"Yeah,"

The conversation ended there. Karen had no questions to ask the blonde and she was satisfied with her decision that Lucas belonged with Brooke still. "I'm going to see If Lucas or Brooke need help with anything."

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Rosalie! Happy birthday to you!" The crowed sang as Rosie stood in the center enjoying the attention. This time, Brooke made her put on clothes. The sun was sinking and the chill in the air was getting bigger.

"Make a wish, Baby." Brooke stood in front, her camera- one that she only has for important events in her children's lives- positioned ready to be snapped at any moment.

"I gotta think first." Rosie rested one hand on her hip and the other was rubbing her chin like she was thinking. "I got it!" Rosie smiled as she thought of the perfect wish. Taking in a deep breath, Rosalie blew out all eleven candles- one for good luck and ten for how old she turned.

"What you wish for?" Teddy questioned. "I'd wish for more toys."

"She can't tell you or it won't come true! Don't you know anything?" Gwen declared shaking her head at her brother's comment.

"Behave." Lucas spoke first before Brooke could handle it. "Or no cake, for either of you."

"Now who wants cake?" Brooke laughed. Rosalie's ten closest friends surrounded her, all girls of course- Lucas's rule, not Brooke's. Rosalie was shinning brightly, acknowledging the attention she was receiving even if it was for only one day. She was enjoying it and that's all Brooke cared about. "I'll bring it out all cut up." Brooke grabbed the cake and headed back into the house.

"I'll follow her to see if she needs anything." Lucas had to be polite since technically he was a co-host of the party.

"Lucas and Brooke in a room filled with sharp objects. Someone may want to keep an eye on them." Nathan joked around, giving Rachel and Haley a perfect way to start their plan.

"Hey Luke?" Haley stopped him before walking into the backyard. "Can I borrow your phone to text Deb quickly? Nathan decided to be a good person and foster a damn dog that pees all over the place and I'm wondering, since mine's dead and Nathan left his at home if I can use yours?"

Looking at her, questioning if she was even telling the truth, Lucas nodded and handed over his phone.

"Thank you. Now come with me, please?" Haley guided Lucas to his old office, a room now that Brooke wanted to turn into a closet.

"Haley what is going on?" Lucas didn't really know how to respond to her. "Why are you dragging me anywhere?"

"Just get in there and shut up, okay?" Haley depended with more force shoving him into the office.

"Hales,"

"Talk and then we will let you two out." Haley stated calmly, shutting the door quickly.

"I was nice enough to put alcohol in there!"

"Always can count on you, can't I?" Brooke spoke from the old couch in the corner of the room.

"Once this stupid fighting stops, and Rachel gets to witness how horrible it's been, we will think about letting you out. Let us finish the party, and Lucas, I'll have Nathan bring Peyton home."

"This is going to end horrible." Brooke mumbled crossing her hands over her chest.

"Since when has Haley and Rachel ever get along?" Lucas pointed out, grabbing one of the two bottles of vodka Rachel left in the room.

This was going to be one interesting night.

* * *

**Well I know it's not the best chapter, but I wrote it on three hours of sleep, before my one tree hill cast's family stalking session. Then after a day at camp, eight six and seven-year-old boys, I proof read it. So I'm sorry for how it is. Please let me know what you all think anyway!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name. The title chapter is inspired by a song from The Cab with the same name.

**So what happened to my reviewers? I went from between 7-10 reviews down to 5 for last chapter. Did something happen that you all didn't like in my last chapter? Please let me know! So this is the last chapter before school starts up again. I may be able to then update one a week or less, depending on how demanding the week is. I hope you all enjoy this one! Please review!**

* * *

**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Eight: Lock Me Up**

"Hey Nathan, do you know where Lucas went? He was kind of mine and Jenny's ride here and he just went to help Brooke with something, I think, and I haven't seen him since. It's been like an hour since I've seen him and I need to get Jenny home but my car is at Lucas's." Peyton walked up to the first person she saw. She was nervous around his family, as it was the first time meeting them, and yet he abandoned her with them.

Nathan didn't want to come across as knowing where he was because he'd get in trouble with his wife and Rachel. Being in trouble with those two is too much to handle even if they didn't like each other. "I think Brooke sent him to the store. I thought he was just going to text you?"

"My phones in the car." Peyton frowned.

"And he took his car." Nathan stated when in reality Haley stole his keys and moved the car into the garage that is only used for sports equipment so Brooke wouldn't have to look at it. "I can give you a ride back to his place if you want and I'll just tell him to drop off your phone when he gets back, if that works for you?"

"Thank you." She nodded accepting his offer. "I appreciate it."

"Don't worry about it at all." Nathan smirked the infamous Scott smirk that melted multiple girls hearts through out high school and college. He pulled his phone out quickly, informing Rachel and Haley that phase two is working.

_Twig Leg is out._ Nathan texted using the nickname Rachel gave the blonde haired lady.

_Twig leg, really Rachel?_ Haley responded to the group message. _Very clever._

_Just get her away, Nate._ Was Rachel's reply.

When Nathan was out and on the road with Peyton, Haley turned into her part of the plan.

"Aunt Haley," Rosalie wondered up to her Aunt looking around for the familiar faces of her parents. "Where's my mom and dad? I want to open my presents but Mom always makes me wait till everyone's gone and just them."

"I think you might have to wait till tomorrow to get your presents, Rosie. Your Mom and Dad went to discuss some adult issues and you all are staying with me and Uncle Nate today."

"But they didn't say goodbye."

"You were having fun with your friends, Baby Doll. They didn't want to interrupt you with them. Just why don't you go with everyone to pack a bag and we will head over to my house." Haley smiled. Sure Lucas and Brooke didn't know what was going on and how they're kids will not be in the house all night but they'll be there alone, but the kids will be looked out for.

"Emmy! Paddy! We going to Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan's tonight!" Rosie went screaming into the house.

Haley knew that Brooke and Lucas could probably hear them and snickered lightly.

"You take them and I'll keep an eye out for World War Three to start." Rachel walked over to Haley as the kids piled into her car. "I got a bottle of wine and a galore of movies to choose from, but I'll basically sit there and listen for any juicy details."

"Call me if we have a break through, got it?" Haley asked in a demanding way. "I'm going to have eight kids at my house when I'm use to having two basically teenagers, Rachel. I'll need the distraction."

"Enjoy it Nate! I'll call one of you with any details."

**-XO-OTH-XO-  
**

"No matter how much you bang on that door they're not going to come for us." Brooke sat on the couch far away as possible in the walled in room. "I tried."

"Cool then." Lucas looked at his watch, checking the time quickly and sighed. He knew someone had to have drove Peyton home as it is way passed the time Jenny needed to be dropped off at her father's house.

"If you two start talking the faster I'll let you out!" Rachel screamed from the other side of the door. "I'd like some entertainment right now!"

"Tell me why you let her around the kids? She's such a good influence on them." Lucas rolled his eyes aggravated with the situation as it is. Rachel being involved with all this made it ten times worse for him.

"Oh give me a break, Lucas. The kids love her. She's two of theirs godmother. She has a right as my best friend to be around them."

"Last time Em wanted her belly button pierced."

"She was thirteen! Hell, I had mine done when I was thirteen. It's not that big of a deal."

"Fighting over me is not helping you'll get out of there!" Rachel yelled.

"Just shut up Rachel!" Lucas yelled back to her. He was becoming claustrophobic from pacing back and forth.

"Will you just stop already?" Brooke screamed after watching him pace one last time. She threw her hands up in the air for dramatic effect. "Just lets get this over with already and do what they want. Rachel's going to be on the other side of this fucking door all night long and who knows how long if we don't figure this shit out." For more dramatic effect, Brooke stood and stomped over to one of the bottles of alcohol residing on the desk and snatched it up for herself. "Might as well get drunk if I'm stuck with you."

"Really?" Lucas looked shocked along with a touch of pain. "How did we get like this, Brooke? How and why?" He didn't want to be the one to start the conversation but what Brooke said as she grabbed the bottle struck him with a lot of force, it was a wake up call that he needed. "We didn't use to be like this."

"People change, and you seemed to change for the worse."

"Brooke Penelope Davis!" Rachel screamed from the other side once again, "retract the claws and listen to him!"

"I changed because I didn't know what else to do, Brooke! Do you really wished I enjoyed being around here acting like nothing changed between us? I didn't if you didn't know the answer."

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about our kids Lucas. You forgot our son at his school more times than I can count using my hands."

"That's an exaggeration."

"It doesn't matter, but you forgot about him, just like you forgot about our family three years ago. You got so wrapped up in that stupid book that I was taking care of six kids by myself while working full time still. You were gone half the time."

He stared at her, looking for the right combination of words that would make sense without screaming and yelling. Her eyes were getting watery and there was something inside of him that wanted to go wipe them off and make sure Brooke was okay, but it wasn't his spot to do it. It didn't belong to him anymore.

"I was alone all the time, Lucas. Do you know how sad it made me feel when everyone of my friends husbands are doting to them and mine didn't even want to be in the same house as me for more than a couple of days before he jetted off somewhere?"

"I had to do my job, Brooke."

"Job this, job that. Did you ever realize I gave up my job? I never go to New York anymore? I never design or even go to the store anymore? I made decisions based on the fact that I wanted to be there for _all _my kids so I gave up my dreams for them! Why don't you do that some times?"

"I didn't know." He spoke softly. In reality he really didn't realize she traveled less to New York and that her stores around the country. He was so focused on getting his third book published that everything else was just in the background. He thought his family- wife and kids- would always be there to support him. "Okay, Brooke?"

"No not okay!" Brooke hissed, grinding her teeth together. "You should've known! I was moping around all the time. Do you not remember anything from that time?"

"_Ugh, answer your stupid phone!" Brooke hissed throwing it on her bed. She was exhausted. Six kids driving her up the walls since it was spring break and they usually go on vacation. Right now they where supposed to leave in one day for vacation but Lucas did not know when he would be home. _

"_Mommy," Rosalie knocked on the door with Gwendolyn standing next to her. "We can't sleep."_

"_Climb on in, baby girls." Brooke sighed lifting the blanket up enough for them to climb on in. "Two little girls need to get some sleep."_

_Just when both girls finally went to sleep, her phone rang. "Where the hell are you Luke?"_

"Something came up with the editor, Pretty Girl." _His voice sounded sincere and sad about it. _"They want to do a book tour this week."

"_Lucas!" Brooke hissed climbing out of the bed and on the porch attached to the bedroom. _

"I can't say no, it's a great opportunity. Maybe when I get home me and you go on a vacation to some where special?"

"_It doesn't matter anymore." Brooke tried not to become sad about it but she was hurt. "I'll take the kids without you, again."_

"Brooke,"

"_No Luke, it's fine. Bye." She hug up, turning off her phone so she wouldn't have to hear from him again._

"I had to tell the kids over and over again that your promises mean nothing because if something with work came up, that came first."

"Don't make me feel worse about it then I already do, Brooke." Lucas stared at her.

"You feel worse? Lucas you came home whenever you wanted or it fit into your work schedule. Yes I understand publishing the next book is important to you but it shouldn't have come in front of our family."

"I might have gotten a little overboard with the book, but you need to understand. It had been ten years since my last book and I was wrapped up in the excitement of it."

"But what about Sully? Huh? What about you and him?"

"I'm trying with him, but he wants nothing to do with me still. I tried the whole car show and that didn't work."

"Because you brought Peyton with you, Lucas. He wanted to spend time with you, not you and him!"

"I didn't know that, okay? He so quiet Brooke, do you know how hard it is for him to even talk to me? I get one-word responses. Since our last fight I've been trying with him and trying hard but when do I get to give up?"

"Never, Luke." She chugged more vodka into her system. It wasn't the best idea but to control her emotions she needed something there. "You need to keep trying or you'll loose him."

"I talked to Peyton about him, even my mom because I don't know what to do, Brooke. Don't you get that? I don't know how to make this all better. I've tried and yet it's not enough."

"Well try harder. What else do you want me to say, Luke? You did this to yourself. Deal with it now, by yourself. As your mother said, you made your bed now lay in it."

The two sat in silence because neither one spoke. Brooke sipped on her bottle and Lucas gladly sipped on the other. The liquid burned as it went down their throats but not one of them cared because it made the silence easier.

"Have you two killed each other yet?" Rachel knock cautiously. She didn't want to be going into a murder scene because Rachel really didn't know who would win that battle. "It's been ten minutes and I've heard nothing."

Brooke started searching for one thing that they kept in this room that she took great pride in- the kids' photo album. She traced her finger along the delicate print of the years over years on each album and pulled one from the year Em was born. "Remember when it was just one of them?" Her voice was slurred from the intake of alcohol but she was calmer.

"That's when it was easier." Lucas cracked a joke. "Now she's all boys this, boys that."

"Just wait you have two more girls to go through all of it all over again." Brooke teased opening up the book. In the beginning there were pictures from her baby shower, of her and Lucas and sonograms but towards the middle pictures of the chubby baby they fell in love with was plastered on every page. "She was such a horrible baby," Brooke laughed.

"Adorable but evil." Lucas agreed.

"_Emmy, baby girl, where are you?" Brooke turned her back for one second and Emmeline Kate was off like a rocket. She learned to crawl and Brooke was trying to safety proof the house but in the process she lost Emmy. _

"_Brooke, Pretty Girl, why are your crawling on the floor?" Lucas entered the house laughing. He enjoyed work, as an editor at a local publishing house, but coming home to his favorite Pretty Girls was his favorite part of the day. _

"_I lost Emmy. I seriously just saw her and then she took off." Brooke had tears in her eyes. "I'm the worse mother ever Broody. I can't even keep track of a baby."_

_Lucas let out a small laugh and reassured Brooke they'll find her. "She's ten-months old. She can't get that far." Then they heard the giggling noise of their baby coming from a basket in the corner of the dinning room. _

"_Emmy Kay, how'd you get in there?" Brooke couldn't help but laugh now. Emmy was sitting happily in the basket making noises that would be words in baby language smiling, showing off her dimples. _

"_She crawled." Lucas answered for her, scooping the baby into his arms. "Miss. Emmy we need to have a talk. You don't scare mommy like that."_

_Ten minutes later, Emmy was fast asleep on Lucas's chest as Brooke snapped the photo. _

"She's a wild child." Brooke smiled closing the book before continuing to when Patrick was born.

They did this with every single year that a child was born into the Scott family. There were memories, laughter and hard times going through every album but as the alcohol flowed the two were happy.

"_Guys, why don't you all come with me right now?" Lucas walked into the waiting room; a smile was plastered on his face and excitement was radiating off of him. "I think there is someone you all need to meet" _

_The small hospital waiting room was filled with the Scott family- grandparents, children and aunt and uncles along with friends who all waited patiently for the past two hours for the newest arrival to join them kicking and screaming. _

"_Dad is mom okay?" Emmy questioned first before asking anything about her new sibling. After being here almost exactly a year ago with the birth of Gwendolyn, Rosalie thought they'd just come back every year to get a new sibling causing Emmy to be worried. _

"_Your mother is okay, so is your little brother." Lucas hugged her tightly, grabbing Gwen from her arms. "Do you kids want to meet your brother?"_

"_Another brotder?" Rosalie pouted. "I don't want one."_

"_Now we're even dad!" Patrick stated happily. It would be an even four men and four female to the Scott family. _

"_Come on Sully," Lucas lifted him into his other arm. "Let's go meet your brother."_

_Walking down the stark hallway, the family entered the small hospital room to see Brooke waiting with a sleeping baby in her arms. _

"_Mama!" Gwendolyn clapped her hands reaching out for her mother. _

"_Hey there baby girl." Brooke smiled. "I want you to meet your little brother, Theodore Henry." _

"_He smells weird." Six-year-old Sullivan laughed. "I like him!"_

"_That's good." Brooke laughed. _

"_He looks like a Teddy Bear, Mommy!" Rosalie stared in awe. _

"_Teddy, huh?" Lucas questioned placing Teddy into his arms. When deciding on his name they always thought Theo would be the nickname the two decided on but now Teddy fits him so much better. "I think he is a Teddy."_

"Brooke," Lucas smiled sloppily as he brushed Brooke's hair behind her ear. "I am sorry about everything." He sounded true and after all drunk words are sober thoughts. "I am. I didn't mean for us to be like this, not at all. If I can go back, I'd change the way everything happened since then."

"I know you would Lucas." She stared at him in the eyes, biting her lip.

He took that as a cue for what it's always been. He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her with the most passionate kiss he has given anyone in the past three years.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**Did I mention I love you guys? Fifteen reviews for the last chapter! OH MY GOSH! Please keep it up! You all are going to hate me for this chapter, but be warned I have a plan! I always, well most of the time have a plan or idea for the stories. I hope this one lives up to all ya'lls wants and needs for this story. Enjoy and Please let me know what you think!**

**PS: I got a review for another story that declared that all my stories are about Brooke having daughters. Well I do this because I do not know what it is like to have little boys. I'm trying here with this story to balance both and hope I'm doing a good job. If not please let me know. Thanks. **

**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Nine: Don't Tell Me**

"So what exactly happened, Luke?" Haley asked worriedly as she passed him a cup of steaming hot coffee hoping it would calm him slightly. He dropped by just to pick up the kids for the day and Haley made sure Nathan took them all out to the River Court so she could talk to her best friend.

"Alcohol, that's what happened." Lucas didn't bother looking up. Alcohol was always a bad friend to Brooke and Lucas, half their kids came from drunken sex. Did they regret those nights? No, because they gave them three amazing kids. "Alcohol and us don't belong."

"That doesn't tell me what exactly happened, Luke. I need more details than that to help you."

"All you need to know is that every chance I've possibly had of getting my family back is gone."

"Gone?" Haley stared at him, not understanding what he was saying.

"She told me this morning that she couldn't do us anymore. That whatever guy she was dating now deserved a chance with her." Lucas hissed at Haley. "It's all your fault with this pushing her to date again, Hales. I liked how I still had my family. Now I don't."

"You have your kids still, Lucas. That means something, right?" She tried finding a positive outcome. "And besides that, who knows if her and Julian will last. They've been on like five dates, that's all. Give it time to tell what is going to happen. But in the mean time tell me what happened last night."

"Same shit as usual with Brooke."

"Lucas Scott, listen to me clearly. If you want Brooke, fight for her. Don't let her get away. She loves you, well underneath the anger right now. You just need to let her recognize it." Haley did feel awful for her friend but she understood were both were coming from. "What about Peyton in all this mix?"

"I'll probably break up with her." Lucas shrugged it off. "I don't really want to talk about her right now."

"Lucas, she's your girlfriend. If you want to get with Brooke you need to deal with that relationship first."

Lucas knew she was right but didn't want to admit it. He liked having someone around lately since Brooke's departure from his weekly events. She was there to talk to about his kids and about his job- one that is making him stressed. "I get it."

"Now what happened this morning?" Haley explored patiently. "Something happened because Rachel warned me that you were heading here and Brooke stormed up the stairs refusing to talk to Rachel. What happened?"

"Of course Rachel would warn you." He rolled his eyes. "She's the cause of all these problems."

"Rachel didn't cause any problem between you two. This mess was going to explode and it did it last night. Now will you please tell me what happened?"

"_My fucking head." Brooke moaned slowly sitting up trying to gather her thoughts. She looked around the room and noticed clothes thrown all over the place, her clothes. "Shit, shit, shit." _

"_Quiet." Lucas mumbled waving his hand as a signal for her to shut up. _

"_Lucas," Brooke wrapped a blanket tighter around herself. "What the fuck happened last night?"_

"_Good morning to you two." Rachel smirked seeing the scene before her as she handed Brooke a coffee and Lucas one too. "You both should think about putting on some clothes." _

"_What the fuck happened?"_

"_I left you two alone after I heard the moaning." Rachel sipped her coffee, snickering at them. "Why don't you two get dressed or something? I'll be waiting out here."_

"_Lucas please tell me this isn't what it looks like." Brooke begged, almost pleading that all the clues did not lead to the conclusion she was thinking in her mind. "This could not have happened."_

"_It may have, crap." Lucas's head was still pounding. He was cursing himself for silently drinking almost a bottle of vodka by himself. He hasn't been able to do that in so long. _

"_Shit, shit, shit! I'm not on the pill anymore, Luke and we both know how well we reproduce from drunken nights."_

"_Oh well." Lucas shrugged it off. He didn't mind having another Scott youngling running around the world. As Nathan joked, it was about time for another one since Brooke and Lucas were late in their delivery of another kid. _

"_Oh well?" Brooke pulled the blanket closer to her body as she ran around the room pulling on the clothes from the previous night. "That's all you have to say is oh well? I can not have another kid, Lucas!"_

"_Explain why not? We have six already. I think one more won't kill."_

"_Exactly, we have six kids. We aren't even married any more and one more kid would be hell, Lucas. Hell of another eighteen years with you!" _

"_Is it really that much hell?" Lucas hissed not believing a single word coming from Brooke's mouth. _

"_Yes, it is that much fucking hell!" Brooke threw on the final piece of clothing on. "It's the worst thing ever. I will never regret my kids, but I sure as hell regret us." With that Brooke stormed out of the room, leaving Lucas stunned in there and Rachel stunned at the doorway. _

"_What the fuck did you just do?" Rachel stood there, hand on hips ready to claw him out. _

"_Why is it always my fucking fault?" Lucas got dressed quickly and went right out the front door, slamming it behind him._

"You had sex with her, Lucas?"

"Yes and to her it's the biggest mistake since our wedding." Lucas sighed defeated. "Am I that much of a screw up to her, Hales?"

"I don't know, Bud." Haley felt horrible. She helped cause this mess and now her best friend was getting the brunt of it. "I know it can be fixed. Everything can be fixed. Don't you all have like Emmy's cheer competition coming up? Maybe go and talk to her then."

"I think it's best if I do what she says and leave her alone."

"Don't let her go that easily. Put up one hell of a fight for her."

"Sometimes it's a lot harder than that." Lucas frowned. "Thanks for the coffee. I'll go get the kids from Nathan."

When Lucas walked out the door, Haley dialed the only number that she could that would help with this. "Rachel, what the hell happened?"

**-XO-OTH-XO-  
**

"Brooke, come on open this door!" Rachel banged on the bathroom door. "You need to unlock it."

"Why, so I can be locked in another room with a devil?" Brooke opened the door.

Rachel could tell Brooke's cheeks were stained red and her eyes were blood shot. "Honey, what happened?"

"I don't even know at all." Brooke sighed walking right towards her bed. "I have no clue how it got this way."

"Because you still love him and it's all fun and games in love." Rachel sat next to Brooke.

"I don't still love him." She looked like how her kids did when they were three, a pout on her lips and her arms crossed over her chest in complete denial. "I'm starting to really like Julian."

"He's moving to California, B, I don't think you will ever see him again." Rachel pointed it out. "You told me that yourself last week."

"Maybe I'll move to New York. Start working again, get the kids away from this horrible town."

"Be rational, Brooke. Don't go moving because one bad thing happened."

"I'm not running because of that, Rach. I'm running because I'm tired of this town. It's time to get away."

"Brooke, you're a runner. Always have been and probably always will. When are you going to let it stop for once?"

"It's not running from him. I'm thinking it's best for the kids. They hate this fighting and maybe having the start over will help."

"And taking them away from their father is a better option?"

"He's an ass and they don't deserve him."

"Stop being a bitch, Brooke. Those kids love Lucas and they deserve to have him in their lives."

"I know." Brooke sighed knowing her irrational thoughts are exactly what they are, irrational. "What do I do, Rach?"

"You need to start all over again. Apologize to him. Plus if you do get pregnant, I can always be another god mother." Rachel hinted.

"No more kids unless you have your own. The baby making factory is closed. You have six kids and then tell me how your body feels. I'm done with it."

"Oh come on, maybe another baby will bring you all together again."

"No more babies!" Brooke yelled. "I just threw out the last of the baby stuff. I'm not going to fat clothes."

"You can always make more again. You may need it now."

"Shut it, plastic."

**-XO-OTH-XO-  
**

"Dad, where's mom?" Emmy asked when Lucas picked them all up from the River Court.

"What, do you not want to be stuck with me for the day Emmy Kate?" Lucas teased her.

Emmeline stared at him with a look of disgust. "Do not call me that. I'm not five anymore."

"I'm five!" Teddy spoke from the third row.

"And annoying." Patrick spoke before putting his headphones in to block out the noise.

"I am not annoying!"

"Patrick, be nice." Lucas sighed. He did not want to deal with fighting kids.

"Daddy I never got to open my presents." She leaned forward out of her seat to speak to him. "Aunt Haley said I can open them tonight! Do you have them."

"No presents for Rosie cause she's too stupid."

"Patrick, enough, please!" Lucas hissed. "Rosie, your mommy has them. You'll get them tonight, okay? Please sit down and buckle up. Gwendolyn Lucy, that buckle must be on or else." He warned like every time.

"Daddy!" Gwendolyn brought on the fake tears. "Teddy hit me!"

"I did not!"

"Did not!"

"Do not pull my hair!" Em screamed turning around in her seat to face Rosalie.

"Okay all of you listen up and listen up really good." Lucas only made it half way down the dead end street before he pulled over and turned off the car. "I want you all to behave tonight. I'm not in the mood for picking on each other and fighting. Any fighting you will be punished immediately. Got it?" They all nodded their heads and went silent.

The silence helped Lucas compose his thoughts enough to decide what he was going to do with the whole Brooke situation and adding in the Peyton situation.

"When we get inside, bring everything to your rooms and maybe if you all behave we will go to the clubhouse for swimming and dinner." Lucas pulled down the street and sighed when he noticed whose car was out front.

"Mommy!" Teddy screamed loudly climbing over everyone to get out of the car.

"Hey Teddy Bear." Brooke melted from her baby boy's hugs.

"Inside," Lucas warned him, pointing towards the door. "All of you."

"Lucas..." Brooke sighed at his cold shoulder.

"If you want to discuss anything, wait till they're inside." He warned as the kids all looked from their mother to father cautiously. Lucas waited though until all were inside before speaking to his ex-wife. "What is it?"

"Maybe we should talk about us. A serious talk." Brooke pulled at the sleeves of her shirt.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?"

"It's never too late."

"If you want to talk, talk then Brooke because I don't know how much more of this shit I can take."

"I think I want another chance, another chance at us."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**Now for this chapter you are all going to kill me, like murder the worst way possible. I have a plan just remember that! So please don't start a search part to murder me. Just enjoy and tell me what you think!**

* * *

**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Ten**

"_If you want to talk, talk then Brooke because I don't know how much more of this shit I can take."_

"_I think I want another chance, another chance at us." _

Lucas took a deep breath and let it all the way out before responding, "and now you say this?" If this happened before the latest fight he may have been happy but now he was just second-guessing everything she tells him because of how many times she changes her mind.

Brooke stared at him, hoping for the response she desperately wanted and needed. "I had a lot to think over." It came out weak and not as strong as she hoped for. After her conversation with Rachel she thought long and hard. There had to be reasons besides hatred that she was getting so angry and frustrated with everything Lucas did. Over the conversation it all became clear.

"I'm tired of this, really am, Brooke."

"Tired of what?" Brooke played with her hands nervously.

"You, us, I'm not exactly sure. All I am sure about is there probably will never be another "us" because of the shit we put each other through. I waited around for you, Brooke, but I'm tired of it. I'm not doing it. Now I think it's best if you leave. I'll drop off the kids tonight."

"Luke," She looked like a hand just slapped her in the face. Brooke bit her lip, a habit she picked up whenever she was nervous or angry and pushed through the nerves and did the one thing she wanted to do the most since the night before. She kissed him, with enough passion that would consume their twelve-year marriage. "Tell me that meant nothing.

"I'm serious," Lucas turned leaving her standing in the driveway stunned.

"Dad are you out of your mind?" Emmeline and Patrick said at the same time standing in front of the doorway.

"This has nothing to do with the two of you." He warned in a tone that meant cut it out.

Emmeline being the oldest daughter of Brooke Davis didn't back down. "No dad, this has so much to do with all of us, not just the two of you."

"Please explain it to me then." He gave them the floor to speak their mind. It was one thing Brooke and Lucas always did. If their kids felt strongly about something then the parents gave them space to speak their minds. "Even if this is an adult situation."

"Nothing adult about this. You both are acting like Em's friends when they see hot guys." Patrick rolled his eyes. "Not a smart thing. They're a bunch of idiots usually."

"Hey! Those are my friends you incompetent jerk." Em pouted.

"You know the word incompetent?"

"I do take AP English, thank you very much." Em turned and ignored her dimwitted younger brother. "Dad, mom kissed you and you walked away."

"I mean seriously, Dad. Even I agree with Em and that never happens. I know when a girl kisses you, you continue kissing." Patrick even let out a laugh. "Who knows it may lead to something more, if you know what I mean."

"Patrick, you shouldn't even know what that means." Lucas shook his head, "What in the world are you learning in school?"

Em rolls her eyes in a fashion just like her mother and huffs, "So not the point right now. You and mom need to work whatever it is out or else, I'm not sure the consequences yet but there would be some!"

"I'll take your thoughts in to consideration but in reality it doesn't matter. This is an adult issue, nothing involving you two."

"It involves us more than you think it does."

"Enough, I said." Lucas calmly stated. "Go upstairs for a little, both of you."

"Dad, you just broke guy code 1- never let a girl walk away." Patrick walked away shaking his head. "So stupid."

"Patrick, I may be getting older but when you mumble I can still hear you." Lucas warned.

The silence when both kids joined him upstairs brought a load of guilt to him, guilt of making the wrong choice and guilt of picking the right choice and hurting Brooke. At the moment he had too many thoughts going through his head to comprehend anything.

"Daddy?" Gwendolyn creped down the wooden staircase, quietly like a mouse, something the youngest female Scott is not.

"Yeah, Baby?" He looked up and noticed the sadness in her eyes and that hurt much worse than anything he could possibly imagine.

"You got your mean face on." Gwendolyn feet padded against the wooden floor, making her way over to Lucas. "Mommy always says you get the face then you get wrinkles. Wrinkles means your old and old people die. Daddy I don't want you to die."

"Gwenie, I'm not that old." Lucas protectively wrapped his arms around her, hugging her quickly into his chest; she latched on like her life depended on it, holding on tightly. "I'm not dying anytime soon, I hope."

"So you may actually die?"

Lucas sighed before answering, "No, I'm not going to die. I promise you that."

After the silence where Lucas was praying for some reason that Gwen fell asleep, but instead Gwen spoke up, "Daddy why'd you make Mommy sad?"

"Mommy's not sad."

"She cries at night, Daddy! I hear her! Make her happy again! Please!"

"Baby Girl, it's not that easy to make your mommy happy."

Gwen rolled her blue eyes at her father and shook her head disagreeing with that statement. "When I sad mommy and you make it better. Make it better for mommy! Kiss her cuts and move home!"

Lucas doesn't know why all the sudden the kids want them back together again. He thought they were content with how they now have two homes; two homes filled with enough love to make it better. "You know this is my home, Gwenie. I am home."

"Not-uh. Home is at mommy's!" Gwen was getting angry. "Come home daddy!" She was crying more than before and her tiny hands were hitting his chest. "It's all your fault!"

"_This is all your fault Lucas." Brooke hissed slamming her car door shut. _

"_I didn't plan any of this, Brooke. You need to understand that." _

"_Didn't plan any of this? You missed our family vacation to go on a book tour. The make up vacation you promised me was cut short because you have to get back to the office. Tell me how you didn't plan any of this?" Brooke stormed into the house. The neighbors have enough of their fights in the past couple of months to know that something was going south in the family. _

"_I didn't know they'd want me back so quickly, Brooke. Please understand this."_

"_Why don't you tell them that I'm sorry, I can't come right now? I'm on vacation for the first time with my family who is always put on the back burner because of this stupid book that I hope will fail."_

"_Because Brooke," He sighed running his fingers through his hair. "For once, in almost ten years, a book of mine is being published again."_

"_A book that I haven't even read and never want to read. That book is the reason of this mess."_

"_The book is about us, this, everything. I put my heart into that book for you." He stormed into his office, "Read the fucking thing and find out for yourself!" He threw the paper print out of the book. "Then talk to me. I need to go." He left the house as quickly as they entered it leaving Brooke in an angry fit of tears. _

_Brooke took her anger and turned it into something. She sent a quick text to Lucas letting him know how she felt. _'Don't bother ever coming home. I'm done.'

_Two minutes later, her phone rang and she completely ignored it and turned off her phone. She was thankful that her kids were gone till the end of the week. Three days was enough time to get all Lucas's stuff together. _

"Baby,"

"You never care." Gwen screamed jumping off Lucas's lap and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls bedroom.

"Maybe it is my fault." He didn't chase after her. Em would take care of it; her anger would be taken out on him if he allowed it.

**-XO-OTH-XO-  
**

"Haley, it's all my fault." Brooke cried out in a heap of tears. "I thought finally deciding what I wanted and telling him that, would do something- anything to him!"

"Brooke," Haley sighed wrapping her arms around her. When she received the phone call form Brooke, Haley dropped everything and got here as fast as possible. "Maybe he was just shocked."

"No Hales, he said no to me. No. N-O."

"Give him time?" Haley offered a piece of advice. "He may be in shock? I don't know, Tig, but it will get better."

"I can't believe I broke up with Julian for him and nothing happened."

"Brooke don't use Julian as an excuse. He's moving across the country and no you are not moving with him." Haley rolled her eyes. "You two need to figure this mess out."

"I tried Hales, nothing happened." Brooke sighed.

"Where is the Brooke Davis I know? The one that would fight for what she wants no matter what happens?"

"The girl got her heart broken again and again by the same guy."

"Yeah well it's time to move on from that. Love hurts, a lot, but take that pain and turn it into some drive to get him back. Get your family back, Brooke."

"_What in the world is all this?" Lucas stormed into the house the day after the blowup. "Why is my stuff in boxes and trash bags?"_

"_I told you I was done. You should be thanking me I didn't burn it." Brooke hissed. "You don't belong here anymore."_

"_This is still my house." He threw right back at her. _

"_Not anymore. You're not welcomed here anymore. Please leave." She opened the door for him. "Take your shit and leave." _

"_I'm not leaving, Brooke. Hell, we need to discuss this all."_

"_Now is not the time to. Instead of not going to see your precious little editor, you should have wanted to deal with the falling apart of the family. I meant what I said. I'm done. I can't do this Lucas. I cant and won't. Its not fair to me or the kids."_

"_Did you even read it?" Lucas asked. "Did you even read my book?"_

"_No because that book is the reason we are done. The reason our kids are going to have two homes. Our kids are from a broken family, thanks to you, Lucas. So No I did not read that stupid fucking book."_

"_Not everything is on me."_

"_You didn't come on our family vacation because your editor wanted a book tour. You left our vacation early to go see your editor."_

"_Mommy!" Rosalie came running into the house, silencing the parents completely. "You're home!"_

"_Sorry," Haley rushed in apologetically. "She saw the cars and threw a fit till I decided to stop."_

"_It's okay, Hales." Brooke faked a smile lifting the six-year-old into her arms. _

"_Daddy! You home for once!" Rosalie stated jumping to Lucas's arms. _

"_See what I mean?" Brooke stated._

"_And with that, Rosie, come on. We're going to miss the movie and Uncle Nathan may eat all the popcorn if we don't head out now." Haley quickly exited as fast as they entered the house. _

"_I'm not giving up that easily. I'm refusing to leave. This is my house just as much it is yours. I'll change for you, Brooke. Just watch me." Lucas stormed off into his office. _

"I don't think I have that anymore."

"Brooke, he loves you, he admitted that to me. Just let him process everything, okay?" Haley hugged Brooke tightly. "It will all work out."

"Dad just leave us alone!" Em screamed walking into the house with the rest of the kids following behind her.

"Come on it's not like that." Lucas yelled after that.

"It's exactly like that!" Rosalie screamed.

"I didn't say yes to it and I didn't say no either!" Lucas sighed.

"Can someone please explain what's going on?" Brooke looked at the mess of her kids screaming at their father on the steps.

"Tell her dad," Sullivan spoke up.

That was when Brooke realized something was up. Sullivan, when with his father now, usually stays silent, only speaking few words when directed at. "Lucas what happened?"

"Brooke... Please, let me explain everything."

"He couldn't keep it in his pants and knocked up his editor mom. No wonder he went to New York all the time." Sullivan spoke with such hatred and venom.

"That is not what happened at all."

"There's a picture of you and this editor. You're holding a baby dad! One that's not any of us!" Em screamed.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Brooke's face went pale before her everything went black.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**I've been in a Gavin DeGraw mood all week, and this chapter is what comes from it. "Belief" and "Soldier" have been on repeat. I blame it on the process of restarting One Tree Hill from season one. Enjoy this chapter! Please keep the reviews up! This was the most I have ever gotten for any!**

* * *

**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Eleven- Too Late**

"_There's a picture of you and this editor. You're holding a baby dad! One that's not any of us!" Em screamed. _

"_I think I'm going to be sick." Brooke's face went pale before her everything went black. _

"Mommy?" Teddy's face became just as pale. For a five-year-old, this was way too much for his little mind to comprehend. "Daddy, what did you do?"

"Teddy, I didn't do anything." Lucas pleaded. "The picture is not what it looks like, it's nothing what it looks like." He tried defending his point across the group of his family who all continued to stare at him not believing a word that was exiting his mouth.

"This is not solving anything right now." Haley became the mediator. "Kids, get to your rooms." Haley ordered but none listened.

"Your rooms, now." Lucas backed her up. She was the only one that wasn't judging him yet. All the kids stared at him. "Em take Gwen and Teddy up stairs, the rest of you follow too."

"Emmy said we don't need to listen to you anymore." Gwen spoke up. She had no filter, what came out of her mouth was always the truth and her parents loved that about the little six-year-old.

"Well I hate to tell you that she's wrong." He stared. "Go," pointing up the stairs, "I said go upstairs. Don't make me repeat it." Lucas voice grew strong and loud, staring at his kids they knew he meant business. Slowly, one by one all six kids were upstairs.

"Brooke?" Haley in the meantime grabbed a cold cloth towel, placing it on Brooke's forehead hoping that it would wake her up. "Come on Brookie."

"Why is the room spinning?" Brooke's voice was raspier than normal. Her throat felt dry and her head hurt.

"Just stay down," Haley advised softly guiding Brooke back to a laying down position. "You passed out, B."

"Is he still here?"

Lucas spoke after observing the friends from afar, "I have a name, you know."

"Well you don't deserve to be called by a name. You're just like Dan." Brooke knew where to hit to hurt the most and that's what she used against him.

Dan Scott was never a good father to Lucas or Nathan. Lucas he ignored till his high school prodigy basketball days and then continued to ignore when he gave up basketball to take on an English major in college. Once again came out again when Em was born. He made his presence known when it was an important moment in Lucas's life, taking the spot light off of him.

"Do not ever compare me to him." Lucas hissed, grinding his teeth. His face was clenched and his eyebrows formed a crease in his forehead. "I am nothing like him. This whole thing is just a miss understanding."

"If you two can't play nice I'm going to have to separate you and then individually knock some sense into you." Haley went into mommy mode. Since her Tutor Girl days, Haley always became the friend that comforted everyone, made sure everyone did his or her homework, and made sure everyone was okay. The ex's just stared at each other and quickly changed their focus to Haley. "And trust me I'm being serious right now. This whole little shit show of yours needs to end fast and needs to end now. Everyone is sick of it."

Choosing to ignore her friend, Brooke started ranting, "So this is why New York and your precious editor was so important that you gave up your family for? Huh? Got tired of the big family so you kept the smaller one."

"I said the whole picture was a misunderstanding. Why won't you believe that? The picture was taking at a company beach day and the baby is hers and is no way related to me." Lucas defended. "I'm getting fed up with always having to defend myself to you, Brooke. Not every thing I do is out to hurt the kids or you."

"So wait, you had time to go to company beach days but didn't have time to go on vacations with your own family or birthday celebrations."

"It wasn't like any of that relates. Every time I was there it was for meetings. I wouldn't purposely just fly there for a beach day, Brooke. There needed to be fun once in a while."

"Fun that should've been with us, you know the people you'd ditch to go see this editor."

"We established that I spent a lot of time there instead of here. I get it, you hated it but you know what Brooke? Did you ever think I needed to get away from the nagging? Every week you would ask if I was going to New York and if I did what I'd miss. If I was missing so much, I didn't care because it got me away from you."

"Is that what you truly thought of me as? A nagger?" Brooke's green eyes that always have happiness have been replaced with green blood shot eyes that tears were falling from. "Is that what this whole family was to you? A waste of thirteen-years."

"Brooke, that's not what I meant." Lucas was starting to feel really bad. He didn't realize when his love for the women falling apart in front of him, for his wrong doings, was replaced with hatred. Somewhere inside of him he wanted to put his arms around her, comfort her, just like he use to. He wanted to be her superman, rescue her from whatever was bothering her but how does superman rescue her from himself?

"Sure it isn't." Brooke immediately put up the walls that were defending herself. She let them down and put them back up again. It was the only way to guard herself.

"So this was not the progress I was hoping for." Haley shook her head, nervously biting her lip. "I want you two to sit down and shut up, got it? Don't make me go all Tutor Mom on you. I did raise a miniature Nathan here, I can handle anything."

Brooke took one side of the couch while Lucas sat on the cushion furthest away from her. The distance to Brooke felt like nothing. In her mind she was sitting right next to him, close enough that there was no space between when in reality there was two cushions separating the two.

"Now listen to me and listen to me good. This screaming about what happened in the past needs to be over with and you both need to move on from it."

"I am trying to but somebody keeps bringing it up." Lucas's comment was directed to Brooke in a not so subtle hint.

"Well how can either of you move forward if you keep living in the past?" Haley brought up a good point. If either one, or both since Haley has been the one that both have come too in a time of need, want to move on the past was there dragging them back in. "I know things haven't been the best in the past but it's time to move on. For your kids," Haley side "them having to live like this is not healthy and not good all around."

"They're not involved in this." Brooke calmed down. "I tell them that they can have whatever they want to with Lucas and I won't be involved to stop them."

"You bitch and moan and complain in front of them about me."

"Don't make me have to go all teacher and institute a raising of the hand if you want to speak policy because I most certainly will if it gets you two to move on. Those kids are the ones being affected the most."

"They're not being affected." Brooke was admit about this point. Her purpose was to keep them out of it all.

"Really, you truly believe that?" Haley questioned. "Please explain to me why Sully refuses to go to Lucas's, why Em thinks she can co-parent with her own parents over her siblings, why Patrick shuts everyone out and why does Teddy get sent to the principal's office at least once every other week for screaming at the teacher? Kids pick up what's around them and model that behavior in their future."

"Why wasn't I informed of anything with Teddy and the principal?" Lucas questioned. In their custody agreement, school was a topic that both of them had 50% control over. If something happens at the school, the parent informed has to inform the other parent- something Brooke did not follow through with.

"I tried, you never answered." Brooke stated simply just shrugging it off. Did she really try to call him? No. She was too pissed off half the time to get in touch with him when she had no clue where to find him. Some of those weeks the kids would be spending the night at Lucas house, so he was in Tree Hill, but still.

"Nice lie. After being together for fifteen-years Brooke, I know when you're lying. I can tell." Lucas hissed right back. "It was my right to know what is going on with our kids."

"And it was my right to know my ex-husband is nothing but a lying cheater."

"Okay, enough is enough." Haley's voice is strong and powerful as the she captured the attention of the fighting duo. "I told you both to drop the past. If you want to move on, it won't do shit to help this mess. I want you two talk about positive things."

"Positive like him getting the hell out of this house. That would be very positive."

"Brooke Penelope," Haley grinned her teeth. "I have two teenagers and you two are more stressful then they are, that stays something. I should've listened to Nathan why he wanted to lock the both of you in a room again, for a long time." Haley rambled on, "I love you both, as my best friends and family, but this is affecting everyone."

"It's not affecting everyone." Lucas was in doubt.

"Yes it is. Brooke you're refusing to come to Christmas or Thanksgiving this year because of Lucas being there. That is affecting us all. What happened to the two of you? You use to get along so well and no one would imagine how friendly you two were turned into War World III."

"I just don't want to be around him." Brooke took a deep breath, calming herself down so she does not explode all over again. "Is that so bad? He can have his life, and I can have my life. He only needs to communicate with me if it has to do with the kids."

"Is this all because of what happened earlier, Brooke?" Lucas asked nervously. He wanted to know where the last push of anger came from. Was it because he turned her away- something he regretted but at the time he couldn't have the mood swings. The past behaviors and fights dampened his ideas of being with Brooke. He loved her, she gave him six amazing kids, but that still didn't help him with his pain and shock from her words.

"This has nothing to do with what happened earlier." Brooke didn't bother looking at him. Why should she? He broke her heart, even more than physically possible earlier today. She put her heart on the line for him and he tour in to shreds.

"Yes it does." Lucas insisted. "It has so much to do with it. I turned you down after waiting for you for so long. I waited three years for you to snap back into reality with having us back together."

"I put my heart out there, finally, and it ended horribly Lucas. Now you understand why I won't do it again."

"_Rachel, I don't know what to do." Brooke cried out. "I hate this."_

"_Brooke," Rachel frowned. "You need to do whatever you want to make it better. Confess your love to him finally. Isn't he the one usually doing it? So why don't you?" _

"_I don't know if I do love him, Rach."_

"_You do love him. Anyone could see that. No one would imagine how calm you two were through the divorce; it was sickening, truly sickening. Then three years you two got along so well that you actually went on family vacations together and did things as a family together. You were more of a family then than when you both were leading up to the divorce."_

"_What if he doesn't want it? I'll finally admit it and get turned down."_

"_That's a risk you'll need to take, and one worth taking, B. He'd be stupid to turn you down."_

"_He did it many times before."_

"_That was high school, this is real life."_

"_Did you know what was going to happen in there?" Brooke asked. Her eyes were bloodshot and she still had 'sex hair' but for once Brooke didn't care what she looked like. Her heart was aching too much to care. _

"_I had an idea." Rachel nodded, pausing before continuing, "We all had this idea that it would get you two to snap out of the anger and find the reason you fell in love in the first place. Brooke, I need you to listen to me. You and Lucas were the one love story everyone believed in. You two are perfect together and had some fucked up things to deal with along the way but you need to put those aside and come back together."_

"_I don't think it's possible to get back to those days." Brooke looked at her hands. "We looked at all those photo albums that I worked so hard on over the years and it felt good to go down that path."_

"_The path with a terror of a one year old Em?" Rachel joked, trying to lighten the situation. "Or a bug digging Sully?"_

"_I miss when they were all young. Things were easier then."_

"_That's because you two made it easier. It can still be easy if you just follow your heart."_

"_I'll try." _

"I didn't mean to hurt you, well maybe I did but did you realize everything you put me through?" Lucas asked calmly, surprising himself. "I was strung along like a lost puppy waiting for you to finally make up your mind. I waited three years for you, doing whatever you wanted that would please you. Then you started dating and I was hurt."

"I dated one person in three years, you can't punish me for that."

"I'm not punishing you for that, Brooke. Not at all. You moved on, so I took that as I needed too."

"But I changed my mind."

"You were just too late. I'm starting to like Peyton and I became done with waiting around for you Brooke. If this was say a year ago, I'd say I love you back in an instant. I do still love you, gosh B, you gave me six kids and I can never thank you enough for that, but I need to move on with my life. I'm sorry." Lucas stood and walked slowly towards the front door. "I just can't be always waiting for you, Brooke. It just wasn't fare." And he left.

"I guess I'm not cut out for this whole Dr. Phil role." Haley tried joking around. "This is a lot harder than it looks."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**Chapter twelve! Yahoo! I hope you all are still enjoying this story. I know some of you are getting annoyed with Lucas and I want you all to know he will change, with time! Please read and tell me what you thing!**

* * *

**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Twelve: Wake Up Call**

"I think the best thing to do right now is maybe family sessions. She's doing better, much better but we still need to take it slow. One day at a time like I said before. Do you two have any idea what was going on?"

"I mean something happened with her friends, but she never discussed it or ever brought it up again." Brooke looked nervously down at her hands, she shivered in the chill of the temp in the room. "I don't know anything else."

"She hasn't been close to her friends." Lucas spoke up. "When she use to be with me she was all about going to friends house, but lately she hasn't asked."

"We will get to the bottom of it, we just need to all be on the same page."

"And that is what?"

"What is best for Emmeline is the page we should all be on. I would like to talk to her privately and then with both of you in the room. Usually this is for attention but I feel like something else is causing this as well."

"Whatever you think is best," Brooke wiped her tears away.

"I promise you both, she can only go up from here. Now if you excuse me, I have other patients I need to check in with."

"Lucas, when did this happen? How did we not see anything?"

"_Mommy," Em cried over the phone. "I love you."_

"_Emmy?" Brooke slowly started to wake up. The kids were at Lucas's for the weekend, leaving her home alone to clean and work at the café for the weekend shift. "Honey it's late, what's wrong?"_

"_I love you." She said slower and her voice sounded like it was drifting away._

_Brooke shot out of bed, in the pit of her stomach something didn't seem right about this at all. "Emmy, baby I love you too. What's wrong?"_

"_By mommy." Emmy's voice drifted before the dial tone was all that could be heard. _

"_Em? Emmy? Emmeline Kate?" Brooke yelled before shoving the blankets off and quickly scrambled around the room. Before grabbing her car keys to head over to Lucas's house, she called Lucas. _

"_Is there a reason to be calling at this ungodly hour?" Lucas mumbled into the phone. _

"_Check on Em right now." Brooke demanded of him. _

"_Why would I have to do that? She was fine when she went to bed." _

"_Because something is not sitting right with me." Brooke declared. "She called me and said I love you and hung up. Something is not right, Lucas. Please."_

_Lucas groaned, climbing out of bed before mumbling to someone that he'll be right back, "Brooke if nothing is wrong with her you are dead for waking me up this early."_

"_Just check on her please." Brooke ignored his previous comments. She didn't care what he said because her mind was focused on Emmeline. Brooke waited patiently for Lucas to hear anything. _

_Lucas screamed for help and then somewhat calmly stated "Brooke get to the hospital now." _

Now here they were waiting calmly, at least trying to be calm, for answers for them. Emmeline was in her room, both parents scared to even see her.

Lucas couldn't get the image of his daughter out of his head. Seeing Em laying there, on the bathroom floor, motionless scared him to death.

Everything Haley said to them was sinking in, tremendously. How could they let it get this far? How could they not realize this was happening?

"Brooke," Lucas looked at her, she was pale from exhaustion as either one of them slept in the past forty-eight hours, and she was shaky with nerves.

"What Lucas?"

"Please don't act like this. I'm in the same boat as you are right now."

"Sorry." She didn't look off of her hands. "Why won't they tell us much?"

"Because it's all about when she is ready to speak, to us or to any one."

"How did we not know about anything?" Brooke's voice dropped the harshness and became serious. She stares into his blue eyes, hoping for answers.

"Because we didn't, Brooke. Now that we do, we can help her."

This was the most they've talked in the past two months; sadly it wasn't the best situation that made them talk again.

"I'm going to go get coffee, you won't some?" Lucas spoke. Sitting around was not helping his mind. He kept having running thoughts of what would happen if he didn't get to Em in time and he needed a distraction.

"Please don't leave me, Luke. I can't be alone right now."

Lucas paused, he had to hold in the call your new boyfriend for help with that but that would get him no were at all. They'll be stuck in the same funk they've been in the past four months. "Why don't we talk about Christmas then? A distraction of some sorts?"

"What if she doesn't make it till then?"

"Em will make it, she after all has Brooke Davis genes in her. The doctor even said she's stable. It's just figuring out a game plan."

"It seems like you're not even taking this seriously right now." Brooke frowned. "Our daughter is lying in a hospital bed because she had such a hard life or whatever high school drama going on that she couldn't come to us." Brooke let the tears fall. "Luke, what happened to us and our kids?"

"Life happened, B." Brooke gladly accepted Lucas's arms wrapped around her tightly. "Sometimes you have control over it and sometimes you don't. Right now we don't. When Em wakes up we can figure out why, but till then don't let it affect you, please."

"Do you remember when it was her first day of school?"

"_Mommy, I don't need to go." Em sat proudly on the bench by the front door. Brooke was rushing around like a chicken without a head. She had six-month-old Rosie resting on her hip, year and a half year old Sully laughing and babbling in Lucas arms and Patrick calmly waiting at the door next to Em. _

"_You'll love kindergarten, won't she Luke?" Brooke played it off, hoping she would love it. Going from having four kids home to three won't be that difference for her but she'd still notice her eldest being gone. _

"_You will Princess, I promise you." Lucas had to miss the whole walking her down the street towards the elementary school as his workday started earlier than planed but he was there when she was getting ready. _

"_Luke, can you grab the stroller from the van?" There was no way Brooke could manage taking four kids to the school by herself. The stroller helped with sprinting Sully and wondering Patrick. "The double one."_

"_Got it." He kissed Brooke's forehead softly before heading off. _

"_Mommy can Rosie come with me cause everyone loves a baby?" Emmeline asked. Her hair was put into two braids with bows on them and a pink shirt with white caprice. _

"_No, babies don't belong in kindergarten, darling." Brooke laughed trying not to show Kay?"_

"_Mommy do I have to? I don't want to leave you." Emmy's face turned to nerves. _

_Brooke quickly put Rosie and Sully into the stroller and grabbed Patrick into her arms. "Emmy, you have to go but don't worry. You'll have fun and we'll all be waiting for you when you're done. Don't think of it as leaving, Baby, think of it as I'll see you later."_

"Back then she never wanted to leave us." Lucas smiled at the memory. "Where ever one of us went, she was there."

"I miss those days. Now it was all about friends and boys." Brooke frowned. "Why can't they stay little?"

"Because having six little kids at once is enough to strangle anyone." Lucas tried to joke around but by the look of Brooke's face it wasn't helping. "She'll get better, Brooke. I promise you that I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her better. The best treatment needed, the best of everything."

**-XO-OTH-XO-  
**

"Baby Girl, what happened?" Lucas sent Brooke to get something to eat, leaving him in the room with an awake Em.

"Daddy, you should've just let me go." Em turned on her side with her back towards her father.

"I will never let you go, understand that? Whatever problems you have to face your mother and I are there facing them with you."

"How is that if you both can't be in the same room together without murdering one another?" She still didn't bother turning over to face him. She saw no point in it. "Just let me go."

"No one is letting you go. Not now, not ever." Lucas moved closer to the bed, rubbing Em's back. "What happened the night of the sleepover?"

"Nothing." Em stared off into space.

"It was something, Angel." Lucas ignored his daughter's want for space and aloneness and climbed onto the bed and pulled Em into her arms. "What happened?"

"Daddy, when did everything get so messed up?"

"Your mother asked me that same question and you know what? I don't know why it gets so messed up. What I do know is that, taking those pills was not a way out. You should've talked to one of us."

"I don't want you embarrassed with me, Daddy." She hid her face in the crook of Lucas's neck.

"Em, I could never be embarrassed of you. Never in a million years would that happen." Lucas just held her tightly, hoping that the embrace was helping calm her down. "I love you too much, Baby Girl, way too much to ever loose you."

"I messed up, Daddy."

"And you know what, Emmy? I messed up too. As humans, we are designed to mess up once in a while but those mess-ups help us improve in the future. You learn from them and move on."

"When your mom get's back, why don't you talk to us?" Lucas offered. He didn't want to be told anything without Brooke here. Brooke deserved to hear it from Em just as much as he deserved it.

"Can you just hold me, Daddy?" Emmy looked at him like she did that day she started kindergarten.

"Of course baby girl." He kissed her forehead softly and hugged her tightly. "Anytime, anytime at all."

In a short five minutes, one that Lucas did a lot of thinking about his kids, about him and Brooke and about himself in general, Brooke came back in the room with two coffees in her hands.

"Mommy, I'm sorry to scare you." Em just calmed down before Brooke answered and was now crying out for forgiveness again. "I don't want you to hate me for what I did."

"Em, I could never hate you baby." Brooke tried her best not to get emotional and Lucas moved himself and Em over to fit Brooke on the bed the best he could. Three people on one hospital bed was a squeeze but Em needed both her parents. "What happened that night that caused this?"

"It wasn't my fault, I swear. Please believe me."

"I believe you, Emmy. Darling, I believe you, but I'm not sure what I'm believing you for."

"I didn't want to send them, but he forced me too."

Brooke swallowed hard and looked over to Lucas hoping he was picking up on what was going on just like she did. "Em, what type did you send?" She was praying her assumption was completely wrong, totally completely wrong.

Emmeline looked embarrassed, as she couldn't make eye contact with either parent. "I'm sorry."

"Oh baby," Brooke sighed. She knew the struggles of teenage girls keeping and finding a boy that loved them for them and not wanting them for other reasons.

"I'm going to kill that boy." Lucas caught on fast, real fast.

"Daddy please don't." Em begged. "It's done with."

"Is that what happened that night, Emmy? Did other's see it?"

Em nodded her head in agreement. "He promised me he wouldn't do it, but it happened."

"Oh baby," Brooke was angry that her daughter did something without thinking of the consequences but she was a teenage girl like Em at one point in time and knew exactly how it felt.

"I want his name." Lucas hissed. "I'm going to do something about this." Lucas wanted to march down to the school to do something right now about this. His daughter was laying in bed while pictures, ones he wish she never sent, were most likely being sent around the school. His anger was going to change into something that will help.

"Lucas, calm down." Brooke was just as angry but she wasn't going to show it. "We will deal with the school later. Right now, it's Em we worry about." Brooke used her mother voice and Lucas shut it, immediately.

The two just held their daughter, making sure Em knew she was loved dearly, minus the mistakes she's made. Shortly after, Em fell back asleep.

"Brooke," Lucas spoke in a whispered tone. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah sure." She slowly got off the bed, walking to the door before turning around to check on Em one last time before walking out the door. "What's up?"

"This whole situation with Emmy made me question a lot. Question myself, us, and the kids. I just had many thoughts all day and I just need to get them out, okay?"

"Okay?" she questioned him nervously. His rambling made her clueless on what he actually wanted to state.

"I think I made a mistake all those years ago. Putting work before you all was one of the stupidest things I could possibly do, Brooke. And..."

"Luke, were are you going with this?" Brooke cut him off.

"I'll get to that point, just let me continue." Lucas did continue. "I just wanted to say, I realize I made the biggest mistake of my life back then. If I could go back and change it all, I would in an instant because I don't think that me could even be recognized. I was just so wrapped up in the excitement of a new book that I forgot the main point in my life. That main point was you and the kids."

"Lucas."

"No Brooke, please. I need to say this." Lucas cut her off. "I need you to know, I regret everything I did three-years-ago. I regret it all because I lost you. I'm going to show you, Brooke. I'm going to prove to you that I'm the main for you even if it takes me the rest of my life to prove. I'm going to do it."

* * *

**So I did this chapter for two reasons: 1. Almost loosing one kid is a wake up call for both Brooke and Lucas to realize that life is too short to be angry over stupid things and 2. Lucas needed a wake up call for how stupid he has been acting. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**So you all wanted Lucas to start working on his relationship with Sully and so that is what I'm giving you in this chapter! I hope you enjoy it and all! The next chapter should be up by the end of next week! School has finally picked up and papers are piling up. Enjoy and please tell me what you think!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Thirteen**

"So what in the world is going on with you and Brooke?" Nathan asked, while the rest of the boys nodded their heads in agreement to the question. "You both are seriously bipolar."

"Funny." Lucas squinted in the sunlight. "Brooke told me we could move slowly but she need's to see improvement in me. Whatever the fuck improvement is."

"Daddy, you owe money to the swear jar!" Teddy popped out of nowhere to call Lucas out on his choice of words.

"When I drop you off, I'll put money in it, Bud." Lucas laughed shaking his head. He always wondered what Brooke did with that money since whenever Lucas was over, he seemed to fill the jar. "Now go play." He shooed him over to the playground. "She says I need to work on my relationship with Sully before anything."

"That boy is too much like you." Nathan laughed pointing his finger to the playground where Sully was sitting on a bench reading a book. "Just what the world needed."

"I'm trying to figure out what to do with him. He doesn't like sports, he likes cars but I messed up on that and I don't know what else."

"Take him to a library?" Skills offered advice while shooting the ball right into a basket. "I mean he acts just like you."

"Yes, Skills 'cause that will help me bond with him." Lucas rolled his eye. "Brooke said she'd do something with both of us this afternoon after she's done at Em's appointment."

"How is little crazy Scott doing?"

"Skills, do you realize what you say before you speak?" Lucas hissed. Em was hurt, not crazy- at least that's what the doctor's and now her therapist stated to himself and Brooke. "Em is fine, at least I think. She's opening up more but we are all nervous for the first day back to school after winter break."

"You said Em was all Brooke, now do you believe us that she has your moody brooding behaviors?" Nathan spoke up, patting his older brother's back. "Moody at best."

"You two aren't helping at all. I don't know what to do with him, not Em." Lucas faked a smile. "Now help me please?"

Nathan frowned feeling bad for his brother. In someway he knew the mess his brother was in was just typical of a Brooke-Lucas fight, but in other ways he felt bad. He saw the relationship Lucas had with Teddy and Patrick and didn't understand why he didn't have the same type of relationship with Sully. "Why don't you just ask Sully what he would want to do?"

"Because Brooke said I need to plan it. Taking responsibility she declared." Lucas looked over at his kids on the playground. "Gwen put your jacket back on!"

"Daddy it's hot!" red-faced Gwen pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and stomping her feet that were dressed with light up shoes. "I don't want it on!"

"I don't care, your mother will kill me if you end up sick." Lucas sighed, "if you don't put it back on, we will leave." He warned hoping that would be enough leeway for her to do as told. Brooke told Lucas the kids were becoming restless staying inside all day in the coldness of the winter and said he should take them to the park today during Em's appointment.

Patrick was off on the other end of the court playing basketball with Jamie, Sully was reading on a bench away from everyone, Rosie was running around with Lydia who was probably teaching her new things no ten year old needed to know, and Gwen and Teddy were running around the playground.

"She's a Brooke," Skills laughed at one of his oldest friend's troubles. "Good luck when she becomes a teen."

Ignoring the comment, Lucas took their previous advice and walked over to his middle son with his hands shoved in his coat pocket trying to hide them from the cold breeze coming off the river. "Hey Sul, what you reading?" Sullivan didn't answer with words, he just held up the book so Lucas could read the cover. "To Kill A Mockingbird. Good book. Do you know your mother really wanted to name one of you Scout?" Again, Sully just looked at him instead of speaking. "Okay, then." He took in a deep breath. "Today is there anything you'd want to do? Since your birthday is tomorrow your mother and me wanted to take you somewhere special today. You decide."

"Nothing." Sully didn't look away from his book. His red hair, something that surprised Lucas and Brooke the day he was born, was becoming long lately, almost past his eye length.

"Well, that is not a choice." Lucas was going to be strong, very strong and he will fight to have this relationship. "Do you still like dinosaurs like you use too?"

"I haven't like them since I was six." He spoke with such anger in a hissed voice.

"Okay, well what do you like then? Maybe we can come up with something?"

"I'd like to read, alone."

"Sullivan, please." Lucas sighed. He hated that he didn't already have a relationship with his son like he should have over the years. He hated that this was now a constant replay in his mind. He didn't want to give up on Sullivan, not again. "Something that your mother and I can do with you."

"I wanna build a new car." Sullivan spoke softly and his voice wasn't filled with anger, it was filled with excitement. Building model cars is something Sullivan loved to do, usually by himself. He'd spend weeks putting one together and painting it to perfection.

"I think we can do that." Lucas smiled before quickly checking his watch for the time. Brooke gave him a deadline of picking up Em from her appointment at noon because she had something to do. "Now let's get out of here." He quickly called all the kids over to leave and waved goodbye to his brother and friend.

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"This has to be wrong, Hales. It can't be right, not at all." Brooke plopped down on the couch. "I can't do this all over again."

"Brooke, you have six amazing kids already. Why can't you do another one?" Haley asked supportively. "I mean is it really that bad?"

"I have a fifteen-year-old, Haley. I'm no Karen when having an age difference in kids. Ten years between Em and Teddy is big enough for me."

"This is good though, B."

"Haley, I love you and all but I'm knocked up by my ex-husband because my ex-sister and brother in law and best friend decided to lock me and him in a room with alcohol. This is all your fault!"

"Brooke, don't be ridiculous. You and Lucas reproduce like rabbits, shouldn't you have used protection?"

"I was not in my right mind. I was drunk, completely out of my mind drunk."

"Brooke more than half your kids came from drunken nights, shouldn't that be a warning?"

"You're not helping me calm down." Brooke looked at her and hissed. "I can't have this kid, Haley, I can't go through raising a baby by myself with Lucas coming and going when he pleases."

"Brooke, you know Lucas would be there through it all. Aren't you two trying to work the mess out?"

"I don't know what we are doing, I know nothing." Brooke sighed running her hands threw her hair.

"Do you still love him, Brooke?" Haley flat out asked. Even though she knew the answer herself, she wanted Brooke to admit it to herself. Brooke needed to hear it herself.

"Of course I do, Hales." Brooke admitted. "I think I love him like in high school all over again. He's been doing these little things here and there like getting flowers for me and those silly letters again."

"And the Lucas Scott I know is coming back." Haley smiled proudly at her best friend. "Now enjoy it and tell him the truth tonight. I am needed to be home and you have a birthday boy to spend the rest of the afternoon with." Haley gave her a hug. "Just know one thing, B, and that is Lucas will be ecstatic for this. It's a new baby and after all it's about time I become an Aunt again. Oh, wait to Mae and Royal find out at Christmas! They'll be off my back for another great grandchild."

"Just get out, Hales." Brooke laughed shoving her out the door just as Lucas and the kids came rushing in.

"How you doing baby daddy?" Haley teased her oldest friend before quickly leaving him stunned.

"What was that about?" Lucas looked on curiously and confused.

"Its just Haley being Haley." Brooke said too quickly. "So did you and Sully decide were we are going?"

"Hobby Shop to get new model cars. He wants to build one." Lucas smiled softly. His son's obsession with cars brought back many memories of his Uncle Keith. He saw Keith in Sully constantly. "Or do anything that has to do with cars in general."

"Of course." Brooke shook her head. "How was Em's session?"

"She won't talk about it at all besides how her counselor wants both of us there next week." Lucas spoke. "And then a family session."

"I'll make sure to be free." Brooke smiled.

"Mom, did dad tell you we are going to build cars?" Sully's face lit up with excitement. "They have so many cool old cars! I can't wait!"

"So it will be boring?" Brooke laughed teasing her middle son. "Anything else you'd rather do for your birthday, Bud?" Brooke loved seeing the excitement radiating off of Sully but at the same time she wasn't in to the whole cars thing. Looking at older cars in a car show was cool to an extent but when it came to building them it took too much time that she did not have.

"Can we go to dinner?"

"Just like every birthday, Sul." Brooke smiled. It was true, every birthday they- Lucas, Brooke and who ever was the birthday kid- went to wherever birthday boy/girl wanted to go to dinner. It was a tradition that helped with connecting one on one with each child.

"Awesome." Sullivan stated cheering up way more than before. "Can we go now?"

"I guess we can." Lucas laughed. He was excited to spend time with Brooke but mostly Sully. Cars was something that they bonded over when he was younger and now for him to bond again over it was better.

"Em, Patrick!" Brooke called up the stairs where the rest of the bunch ran up after they got home. Brooke rolled her eyes when she heard groans of the two oldest.

"What?" Patrick took out his ear buds.

"Em you're in charge of Rosie and Gwen, Patrick you're in charge of Teddy. There's two frozen pizza's in the freezer. Heat them up for dinner. We won't be gone too long."

"Please don't leave them in charge of me. I don't need a babysitter." Rosalie groaned walking down the stairs. "It's not fair, I'm older now!"

"Rosalie, you know the rules." Lucas spoke up. He became shocked that his little Rosie was turning into a moody preteen- something he did not want. He wanted his baby Rosie back. "No being home alone till you're thirteen."

"Not fair, you know."

"Life's not fair, Rosalie. Get use to it now or it will be a long disappointment." Brooke hugged her tightly. "Plus, she's just there to make sure you don't do anything stupid. You can go about your business like you are not being baby sited but you know the rules."

"Now have fun, and behave. All of you." Lucas warned. "If we come back and this place is a mess you are all in trouble."

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"Two new cars, got it?" Lucas warned as he opened the door to the hobby shop. "One you can work on by yourself and one we can do together."

"Can I get three?" Sullivan spoke up excitedly.

"I guess since it's your birthday." Brooke smiled, "It's your last year before being a teen. Please stop growing older."

"Mom, I'm only turning twelve. You much older than that."

"Oh you know the way to make your Mother so happy." Brooke rolled her eyes laughing. "Go pick out three cars, just because I'm choosing to ignore that comment."

"Since when is Sully ever this excited?" Lucas asked. In that moment he wanted to do one thing, wrap Brooke in his arms and give her a kiss but he knew they were not at that stage yet, they were at the stage where they admitted they liked each other and that was it.

"Since his father is spending time with just him for once." Brooke pointed out nervously. In the past she didn't care what she said about him because she knew it to be true. She knew that his relationship with Sully was horribly and almost matched the relationship Lucas had with his own father. Brooke just had to keep repeating to herself that he's trying.

"Ouch," Lucas mumbled guiding them over to where Sully was staring at the different models.

Automatically feeling bad, Brooke wanted to make it better. "Luke," she called after him but knew she just annoyed him with the truth.

"Don't worry about it, Pretty Girl." That single nickname melted her heart no matter where or when he said it to her. It brought back memories from high school and memories from the past years. "So, Sullivan, did you find three you want to build?"

"Can we do an El Camino?" Sullivan pointed to the one car on the top shelf. "It looks awesome!"

"I think we can handle one." Lucas ruffed up his red hair. "Any other ones?"

Soon Sully picked two more cars, an old ford Pick-Up Truck that he wanted to work on with Lucas and finally a 1968 Shelby Cobra after Lucas told him that he use to have one. Brooke always forgot about that car, but then remembered that was where one of the kids was conceived in.

"Can we go to dinner now? I'm starved!" Sullivan exaggerated rolling his blue eyes.

Lucas and Brooke let out small laughs at him. Both were enjoying their son's personality shinning brightly; one that was always hidden by his five siblings. "What do you say for your gifts so far, Bud?" Brooke questioned him. Politeness was important to her and by the time a kid turned two they knew to say 'thank you' or 'please' and Brooke was happy about that.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad." Sully quickly hugged both parents before turning the topic back to food. "Can we can Italian?"

"My little pasta boy." Brooke teased him playfully. "You'll eat me out of pasta if I let you."

"Italian it is." Lucas watched the interaction between mother and son and was happy he was changing for his son. He couldn't imagine his life without Sully and truly didn't understand why he was so idiotic in the past about his relationship with his almost twelve-year-old.

Brooke watched Sully climb into the car and paused to turn to Lucas, "He's enjoying this."

"I'm glade because I am too. Who knew he held so many car facts in that mind of his." Lucas laughed nervously; not knowing why Brooke was wanting now that he was trying with Sullivan made him a hot nervous mess.

"I did," Brooke pointed out, "But anyway, thank you for coming with us."

"It's just like old times, isn't it?" They climbed into the car just as Brooke's phone rang.

Brooke checked the phone and it was home calling. Having five kids home alone, Brooke answered immediately. "Is everything okay?"

"_Why are you having another kid?"_ Patrick yelled into the phone. "_One that's disgusting and two isn't six enough?"_

Brooke turned to Sully and Lucas, knowing that both of them heard what was said on the other line. Lucas looked angry, and Sully looked sad. All Brooke wanted to do at that moment was sink into the seat of the car till she disappeared. This was not how she wanted to tell any of them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**Hey ya'll! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'm wondering something though, suddenly I went from an average between 10-15 reviews to now only around sevenish. Is there anything I did differently in these past couple of chapters? If so please let me know! I'd like to get those reviews back up! Till then please enjoy!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Fourteen**

"Dinner everyone?" Brooke hung up the phone, not wanting to deal with Patrick at this moment. It was not his fight-to-fight over; Brooke and Lucas needed to deal with it by themselves. "Where to Sully?"

"Can we just go home?" Sullivan drifted back into his quiet shell. "I don't want to go eat anymore."

"No, no, no." Brooke shook her head. "This is to celebrate your birthday and that's what we are going to do. This other thing can be dealt with later. For now lets focus on you, Bud."

Lucas was silent, the anger subsided and now he kept having one thought over and over again. A baby? Another little Scott running around here? Can he handle it? Can he be a better father than he was now? He hoped he could.

"Pizza," Sully mumbled placing his head against the coldness of the window.

Brooke directed Lucas to the one pizza place the kids love just because it has an arcade. "Luke," she whispered turning to him "I was going to tell you later, I just found out today while Em was at her appointment."

"Sure you were." Lucas mumbled. "But it's out there now. We'll talk later."

Brooke didn't know what to make of his comment so she just nodded and stared out the window till they pulled up to the place. "So what kind of pizza do you want?"

"I don't know."

"Sul, what's wrong?" Brooke sighed. She was having such a good day, he was having such a good day, and they all together were having one. This change in his behavior was scaring her.

"Nothing." He responded walking away.

If there was one thing about Sully that was difficult to understand is that change and him don't combined well. He doesn't deal with it and just lets his emotions build, closing himself off to everyone. Brooke tried talking to his doctor about this but he just declared that some kids just don't like change and didn't give her any help on how to deal with it.

"He'll come around." Lucas found his way right next to her. "I promise. Look at him earlier today. This is just another bump to get over."

"Why are you so calm about this?" Brooke looked at him shocked as they walked slowly towards the restaurant. "You've never been this calm whenever I'd tell you I was pregnant."

"_Luke?" Brooke yelled from the bathroom where she was pacing back and forth across the white tile floor. "Get in here please!"_

_She was cursing herself silently as she waited for him. Pregnant, that's what the five tests had stated that were laying across the counter top. Her mind was rushing a mile per minute and she couldn't wrap her head around it. _

_Sullivan just turned six months old, Patrick was two and Emmy was four. She had her hands full with three kids and now had to add a new baby while trying to potty train Patrick- who wanted nothing to do with the toilet. _

"_Broody! Come on!" She screamed again. When she ran into the bathroom that morning she knew all the signs she was putting off was leading to one idea- she was pregnant. "Damnit!" _

"_Talking to yourself is always such a hot thing to see." Lucas teased leaning against the doorframe with Sullivan fast asleep in his arms. When Lucas saw the face Brooke made he knew it was trouble and dropped the teasing completely, "Baby, what's wrong?"_

"_You!" She hissed, "you did this to me, again!" _

"_I did what to you?" He was slightly confused. "Rewind and tell me what's wrong, please." _

"_This!" She pointed towards her stomach and then to the five tests on the counter. "You and your powerful sperm knocked me up. Congrats on having sperm that can go through condoms."_

"_Ummmm," Lucas didn't show excitement or any emotion really. They talked about having more kids eventually; it was Brooke and the even numbers thing. _

"_Umm is all you need to say?" Brooke's voice got louder. "I got skinny again and now your sperm is making me fat again."_

"_I guess we can do it?" It was a statement that when it came from his mouth it was more like a question. He ran his hand nervously through his hair. "I mean," he paused waiting for the right words, "I guess we need to deal with it."_

"_You!" Brooke's voice grew, "You, are so getting snipped. I'm not getting knocked up ever again!"_

"_Uh," He looked at her squinting his blue eyes, "I guess."_

"Because it's been five years since the last time and since then a lot has changed." He stated simply. To him this was another chance to start over with Brooke and to become a family again. It was an opportunity to be around from the start again. "We can talk when he goes and plays."

It was awkward for the three of them to sit and order their food. Sullivan was staring at his hands with the same face Lucas has when he is brooding. Brooke sat nervously at the way Lucas reacted to the nerves and Lucas was just trying to figure out what to do about it all.

"Here Sul, why don't you go and play some games? We'll come get you when foods ready?" Brooke reached for a twenty in her wallet.

"Thanks," Sullivan mumbled walking away in a sulking way. His head was low and eyes were facing the ground.

"This isn't a bad thing, you know." Lucas was the first one to speak, catching Brooke slightly off guard. "It can be a good thing."

"It can?"

"Yes, it can. I mean come on Pretty Girl. When Em was born we were both head over heels in love with her. As the rest came we had other things to worry about like how the rest of the kids would react. Now that Teddy's five and in kindergarten, we have that time to dote on another baby."

"You are still too calm about this. I'm the one that will be dealing with everything by myself. Just like now I do."

"You do it alone because you don't want my help. I try, Brooke, I really do try."

"Taking the kids only on designated time is not really helping much. I'll be the one the baby will live with all the time, so I will be the one that is up all night with it."

"And I can stay over whenever you want me too to take over the night shift. Brooke, I'm willing to help with whatever you need me too. I want to be there, I want to be there for everything."

"How do I know it will actually happen?" Brooke stared at him. When they got married he promised her to he'd be there for everything and that didn't last too long.

"Because, Brooke. I've changed. You know I changed. I'm trying to be the man you fell in love with in high school. I want to be that guy again, for you and the kids. I know I don't really deserve much hope, but please, I'm begging you to believe me." He sounded believable and a tiny part of Brooke wanted to believe him but the past has pushed her towards not believing him at all.

"I want to believe you, I do, Luke. But today is the first time I've really seen it. Sully's having such a good time and so am I but how do I know it will last?"

"Because you have to trust me." He smiled for reassurance. "I want to be there." He hoped his words were enough, but knew he'd had to prove it. "I'm gonna help you with this because lets face it, Brooke, it's been five years since the last Scott was born. It's time for another."

"Very Funny." Brooke growled. Her emotions were making it hard for her to believe what he was saying. When she found out this morning, her mind was all over the place. She felt happy, while also feeling nervous. After Teddy joined them, she was so sure she was done with kids. She had six amazing kids and that was more than enough for her. Now that she's had a couple of hours to think about it, she was starting to enjoy the idea of another baby since her babies were all growing up so fast. "If you want to do this with me, then be there every step of the way because I can't do it all on my own again. I can't and I won't."

"I'll be there, I promise." He grabbed her hand from across the table.

The little things like this made Brooke melt. She had not clue why, with all the previous anger she held towards him that he could even make her melt. But he did, constantly lately.

"Start with the day after Christmas, I have a doctors appointment. If you want to do this with me, come with me to that."

"I'll be there." He promised.

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"This is just like you, Mom." Patrick took on the role of his parents and paced in front of the couch as he parents sat watching him.

"Just like me, huh? Explain it to me Patrick." Brooke was angry, very angry but she wanted to hear her kid's side of things and not let her anger to take over. If that happened it would turn into a screaming match which none of them wanted.

"Too many children in the world to be having more."

"Do you hear the way he's speaking? What happened to our thirteen-year-old and when did he become so proper?" Lucas teased. Patrick was usually the snotty, emotional, typical teenage boy who loved three things in life: girls, sports and videogames.

"And sometimes I wonder if we are the adults in this house." Em spoke agreeing with her brother. "And I never agree with Patrick on anything."

"Why don't you all sit and we'll have some family meeting crap." Lucas offered. They weren't a typical family so typical family meetings never happen, even when they were a family of eight.

"Daddy! Money in the swear jar!" Gwendolyn giggled pointing to the damn jar that holds all of Lucas's money these days.

Brooke held in a laugh as Lucas stood and went to place a five-dollar bill in the jar. "Seriously, Brooke do you ever put money in there?"

"I just don't curse in front of them." Brooke smirked. "Self control Broody Boy."

"That is disgusting." Teddy spoke plopping down on the couch.

"They use to be worse, Teddy Bear." Em spoke with kindness. She may become annoyed at Teddy but she still looked out for him and guided him in the correct path of life. "Trust me, way worse."

"Enough, Em. Stop spreading lies." Brooke teased waiting for all six to plop down on the sectional couch she had to have when Gwen was born after her water broke on their old warn out couch. "Okay, yes as Patrick probably told you all, I am pregnant again and yes it's your father's but we are not going to go into how that happened. Any questions?"

"If you having a baby, does this mean Daddy's coming home?" Rosalie asked innocently. Brooke started giving the sex talk to her daughters at the age of eight to prepare them for the future. It was simple talk of only when you're in love are baby's born along with the birds and the bees talk. As her daughter's got older, the more correctly she stated the sex talk. After all, she was pregnant at twenty-one and was young and scared but Lucas made it all better by being there.

"At this point I'm not Rosie. Maybe in the future but for now there is a lot I have to work through with Mommy." Brooke smiled at Lucas's response. It was straightforward, easy to understand for the younger kids, but didn't give away much of their struggles. "But I'll be around more."

At the last comment, Brooke turned to see Sullivan's reaction. His face broke into a smile that shortly left as soon as it arrived. Brooke let out a sigh and made a mental note to spend individual time with Sully and Lucas. It seemed they bonded better if Brooke was there to soften the harshness.

"It's not going to be bad, not at all." Brooke tried make light of the situation the best she could. If Lucas and Brooke could be on board with it, then the kids shortly will follow in their footsteps. "It's going to be fun journey we can take all together."

"Can it be a sister?" Gwen spoke up. "Cause then I can annoy her like Rosie annoys me."

"Well we don't know what it is, Gwenie. We'll find out in a couple of months but it may be a boy." Lucas knew he was breaking Gwen's little heart.

"So there may be another gross Teddy around?"

"I'm not gross!" Teddy screamed loudly.

"Both of you aren't as gross as Patrick's bedroom half the time." Brooke laughed teasing. Laughter helped calm her nerves of this situation. "So Em, Paddy, and Sully what do you three think?"

"As long as I'm not babysitting or changing diapers, I'm okay." Emmeline declared. "I'll babysit for cash, but not for free. I need money to survive."

"Em, you get an allowance. If I ask you to babysit, you'll get something out of it that might not always be monetary." Brooke let out a breath. At least so far four out of six kids were okay with this new adventure.

"As long as that thing doesn't bother me, I'll stay far away." In other words, Patrick was on board for it.

"Sul?" Lucas asked only receiving a shoulder shrug from his middle son. "I'll take that as an okay."

"There's going to be a lot of changes going on and we'll need all of you to help when we ask. But if we stick together it could be interesting and a fun journey." Brooke tried making it sound exciting. "You all can do whatever you want right now." She excused them.

"Sul, I'll be right up to help put that one car together. You can show me how to do it. I'd really like to learn." Lucas called after Sullivan who immediately responded with a smile. He wanted to talk to Brooke first though.

"Mommy, Daddy?" Gwen and Teddy stayed around whispering into each other's ears about something.

"What can we do for you two, Princess?" Lucas pulled Gwen on to his lap.

"Teddy has a question for you."

"I do not! You older so you ask!" Teddy became embarrassed and Brooke was patiently waiting for this one question that had her kids fighting to ask.

Lucas let out a small laugh, "Just as the question, Gwen." Brooke and Lucas just waited in silence for this embarrassing question. "Come one guys, one of you just ask it."

"Daddy, Teddy wants to know how babies are made." Gwen asked so seriously.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**So here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy this. I'm thinking of maybe no more than five more chapters! Hope I can keep you all around for that long! Please tell me what you think!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Fifteen- Bad Timing**

_Lucas let out a small laugh, "Just as the question, Gwen." Brooke and Lucas just waited in silence for this embarrassing question. "Come one guys, one of you just ask it."_

"_Daddy, Teddy wants to know how babies are made." Gwen asked so seriously. _

Lucas and Brooke stood there silently. Neither one really knew how to answer them because of their age. The older the kids became, the easier the sex talk was. For a five and six year old it had to be kept simple and easy.

"Lucas, you deal with this one." Brooke smirked standing up. "Guys daddy will tell you all about how babies are made. If you get your Barbie and Ken doll, Gwenie, daddy can even show you it."

Gwen jumped off the couch and ran up the stairs in search of the dolls with Teddy following behind her.

"You are evil, pure evil." Lucas hissed jokingly at her only to receive a shrug.

"Eh, once in a while you can be the one explaining it. But this time please don't say you eat the baby seed like you did for Patrick. He refused to let me eat anything with seeds for a week."

"He was three! I didn't know what else to say!" Lucas defended himself.

"Exactly, Luke. He was three, you make it simple like when a mommy and daddy love each other, a baby is made. Bam! Simple."

"I need a beer for this." He shook his head walking into the kitchen to help himself, but the minute he walked in Em and Patrick stopped whispering. "You two getting along means some things going on. Spill."

"Nothing." Patrick looked up. His face was calm giving Lucas no clues on what's going on.

"Nothing my ass, Patrick. Spill or I'll get your mother in here to help you two spill."

Brooke had a way of getting the kids to spill any secrets they had. She tried, desperately to teach Lucas it but Lucas couldn't. It was a simple look and then all of the secrets spilled out.

"Daddy," Em looked up at her father, taking her attention off her phone, "don't worry about it. It was nothing. Trust me, Paddy and I are not getting along. I could never get along with someone whose room smells like a locker room all the time. Seriously," she turned to her younger brother, "clean it once in a while. It won't hurt."

"And this is the Em and Patrick I know." Lucas took a long sip of his beer.

"Luke! Come on, you have a Ken and Barbie waiting for you!" Brooke yelled trying her hardest not to laugh.

"Don't even ask." He pointed to Patrick and Em before exiting.

"I so want to see this!" Patrick laughed as they sneaked down the hall to watch their father try to explain whatever he was.

"Why do I need Ken and Barbie?" Gwen asked curiously. "They don't have babies, Daddy. Barbie has a sister."

"Umm, well it's just for demonstration, Baby Girl." Lucas stumbled over his words nervously. "Brooke can you please help me with this?"

"Why is this so hard to answer?" dramatically, Gwen asked stomping her feet. "I just want to know how a baby gets in Mommy's stomach!"

"Isn't it a seed, Dad?" Patrick teased him, remembering his past conversations with his father.

"Paddy, get upstairs." Lucas demanded not wanting to do this in front of him; he'd be teased for days by Patrick. Why is it so hard being thirty-eight and having the sex talk with a five and six year old?

"It's simple dad. Just explain sex. Bam!" Patrick spoke walking towards the steps.

"Paddy, watch it." Brooke warned with her eyes, pointing up the stairs for him to go.

"Daddy how'd the baby get in Mommy's stomach?" an impatient Teddy demanded an answer. "I just want to know."

"Well guys," He paused looking at Brooke who just shook her head laughing at him, refusing to help him. "When a man and a female love each other, they have a baby brought down by a stork."

"You're lying!" Gwen yelled. "Emmy said that they're in the stomach, how can a bird bring them?"

"Well, the baby gets placed in a mommy's stomach when a pill is taken." Lucas was a nervous wreck.

"So they take a pill and the baby comes?"

"Yeah Gwen, mommy took a pill and then nine months later a baby is born." Lucas sighed a breath of relief when Gwen excepted his answer.

"Come on Teddy! Let's go investigate this!" Gwen grabbed Teddy's hand and pulled him towards where Brooke kept her laptop.

"Do not go on that computer, Gwendolyn." Brooke yelled after them. She really didn't want either to Google '_how baby's are made'_. It will bring up pictures that she was not ready to explain to them.

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"That was so embarrassing. Why didn't you help me, at all?" Lucas plopped down on the couch with a new beer in his hands. Lucas spent the night helping Sully put a car together and now all kids are in their room or in bed.

"Because," Brooke couldn't help but roll the memory through her mind again, "it was funnier watching you struggle."

"Not funny at all. I don't think I can look at a Barbie or Ken doll again."

"You didn't demonstrate anything to them! You said a pill, Luke. When they find out the truth, you're in for it. You could've just said when a mommy and a daddy love each other."

"Yeah cause that worked out so well with Rosie." He rolled his eyes, shivering at that horrible memory. "You still could've helped."

"I have to explain the menstrual cycle. You can explain sex to a five and six year old with no problem." Brooke sighed, looking at the beer in Lucas's hand made her want a nice glass of wine to relax. "I miss wine."

"You have a long time till you can drink it again." He teased sipping his beer again.

"Fuck you." She pouted crossing her hands over her chest. "If I can't be allowed to drink, neither can you." She smirked proudly, grabbing the beer- one of the last ones in her house- and walking to the kitchen sink to dump it.

"Oh come on, B. Really?" He complained following after her. "Don't take it out on me."

"Take it out on you?" Brooke kinked a brow staring at him in disbelief. "You did this, if I can't do something then you can't either."

"This is going to be a long pregnancy."

"Worse than you ever imagined, Broody." Brooke was going to make him pay for this. Anything she now couldn't do, she was going to make sure he could not do. Payback for knocking her up for the seventh time making their whatever to call it, family, an uneven number seven.

"Mommy?" Rose stood in front of them, her hair was a mess from sleeping and her cheeks were pale with loss of color. "I don't feel good."

Brooke paused what she was doing to turn her attention to Rosalie, "Rosie Baby, what's wrong?"

"I think I'm going to be sick," She cried out almost in a frightened sense. She was nervous to be sick and was tired as it was almost midnight. Right at the bottom of the stairs, on the hard wood floors, Rosalie got sick. Everything in her from that day was gone from her system.

"Crap." Brooke mumbled. Pre-kids Brooke would have gotten sick right there and then, but now post-kids Brooke just brushes it off. "Okay, okay, come on Sweetie, let's get you to the bathroom."

"I'll clean up." Lucas sighed.

If one sick kid taught Brooke and Lucas anything it was that within the next week all the kids will be sick. With tomorrow, technically today, being Sullivan's birthday and Christmas in two days it was not the perfect timing for this but when is anything perfectly time with life anymore?

"This is why I only wanted one." Lucas talked quietly to himself as he cleaned up the mess. Did he truly only want one? As one and then another were born, he was unsure on how many he wanted but he loved them all.

"Mommy, I'm sorry." Rosalie cried as she hung her head into the toilet.

"Baby it's okay." Brooke gave a sympathetic smile as she rubbed soft circles on her back. "Just let it out."

"Cleaned it all up." Lucas joined them in the bathroom moving to the floor with Brooke. "Drink this baby," Lucas handed over a glass of water.

"Daddy," Rosie climbed right into his lap like she use to do when she was two. "Make it better."

"I can't make it better, Baby. Drink some water, it may help." Lucas advised looking at Brooke for advice.

"No water," Rosie shoved the water away.

"How you feeling Rosie?" Brooke asked trying to figure out if this was the end of getting sick. "Come on, let's get you in bed. Let's let daddy go home. It's late."

"Daddy stays." Rosie grabbed a hold of Lucas tighter. "He makes it better."

Lucas was the one somehow who made it better when the kids were sick. It was either him being there in person or him calling or video chatting, he made it better. It drove Brooke insane that they'd depend on him so much when they're sick and yet she was the one that was there for them every day.

"Baby, daddy needs to go home. It's getting really late and if you're feeling a little better we can get you back into bed or if you're not feeling better you can stay with me." Brooke wanted to be the one to take care of her, like she did multiple times when she was alone.

"Brooke," He looked at her, "I can stay, if that's okay." Lucas didn't want to over step any boundaries. He just wanted to be around more and be there for the kids any possible chance he had.

"Just let's bring her to bed." Brooke did not want to have that conversation with Rosie in the room. She pushed the conversation she wanted to have in the back of her mind for the moment till Rosie was fast asleep in the bed Brooke once shared with Lucas. "My bed. Get her away from the other's incase they come down with something too."

Once upstairs, Lucas placed Rosie in the center of the bed. "Try and sleep Rosie." Lucas kissed her forehead softly. "I'll be here for a little longer till you sleep."

Brooke and Lucas both climbed on either side of the bed and Rosalie pulled them closer to her. When she was a baby she use to do the same thing. She would only sleep in the bed with both parents. How'd she's know that both where there? Who knows but Brooke used to laugh about it, now she's dreading it.

"Stay daddy." Rosie mumbled tiredly. "Mommy he can stay, right?"

"Rosie, daddy has his own house he stays at. He needs to go home and you need to go to bed." Brooke rubbed soft circles over her middle daughter's back, knowing that eventually she'd just have to give in. "Isn't that right, Lucas?"

The hint in Brooke's eyes gave it away for him that he is supposed to agree with her with everything or he'll get the wrath of Brooke Davis formerly Scott. "Rosie, I'll stay till you fall asleep and if you need me you can call me, okay?"

"Fine." Rosalie's voice was muffled as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

In the twenty minutes of silence till they made sure Rosalie was sleeping was filled with looks from both parents. Brooke's angry that Lucas was still there and Lucas's a silent sorry.

"She sleeping?" Brooke questioned trying to break away from Rosalie's grip.

"Out cold." Lucas paused, waiting for Brooke to get off the bed before making his way off the bed following her out the room. "Brooke," He paused trying to figure out what he wanted to do or say. Parenting together made him miss her even more.

"Yeah?" She unlocked the door and turned to face him.

Without saying anything, he did what his gut told him to do. He went in for a kiss.

"Mom? Dad?" Sully stood at the top of the steps witnessing it all.

"These kids have bad timing." Lucas sighed pulling away from Brooke.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**So I was going to write more chapters but when I started writing this one it just flowed to a great ending. I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! I have another story in the works. At the bottom I gave a summary for it! For now, enjoy this chapter and please let me know if you like it or not! I'm not sure if there will be an Epilog. I have no ideas for one. If you have any I'd be glad to hear them! Thanks everyone!**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Sixteen- If I Could Kiss You Tonight**

Almost two weeks since the kiss and Lucas was becoming antsy, really antsy. It was on Lucas's mind constantly. Seeing Brooke at Christmas made things worse for him.

Ever since that kiss, Brooke was sneaking kisses to him whenever she had a child-free/family or friend free moment. It confused the hell out of Lucas. He didn't know what to perceive of it because she would stop as soon as someone walked in, like she was embarrassed of him, embarrassed of them.

_Without saying anything, he did what his gut told him to do. He went in for a kiss._

"_Mom? Dad?" Sully stood at the top of the steps witnessing it all. _

"_These kids have bad timing." Lucas sighed pulling away from Brooke. _

"_What can we do for you Sully?" Brooke composed herself, the best she could. She was embarrassed and nervous that he saw more than they hoped. The kiss was something she didn't want to show them yet. It was too new. _

"_I just was wondering if anyone was down there cause the light was on." Sullivan stated with a yawn. _

"_Yeah, we're down here. Go back to bed, bud." Brooke sent him a smile and Sully was off on his way back to his room. "That should not have happened."_

"_Oh come on Brooke, you and I both know you liked it."_

_Brooke looked at her hands, finding the courage to admit she liked it. "I did Luke, ugh." She admitted, "But not around the kids okay?"_

_If that was her only rule than he was going to milk it for every time. He leaned in and kissed her with more force and passion then he has ever done in a long time. He pushed her against the door and Brooke craved for more. _

The glow of pregnancy looked amazing on Brooke. She had a smile on her face when she was not getting sick or eating the hidden double chocolate donuts she hid in the cabinet above the refrigerator that Lucas told the kids they'd be dead meat if they touched. One thing about a pregnant Brooke- do not touch her chocolate stash or you were dead meat till it was replaced.

Tonight was New Years Eve and Brooke agreed to let the kids each have one or two friends over while she invited Lucas to help her with a bunch of kids.

It meant one thing to Lucas. Tonight, he will kiss Brooke at midnight without caring who is around. It was his chance to prove to her that he meant what he said earlier that he has changed for his family.

"Ugh, it's only you." Em frowned opening the front door. She rolled her eyes and stomped away back to the couch where she sat waiting patiently for her friends.

"Emmeline that is not a nice way to answer the door." Brooke rolled her eyes at the teenage behavior as she remembered those days herself. "She's waiting for a boy."

"Uh, I thought we said no boys?" Lucas's voice became high pitch from his nerves. Boys? His daughter was old enough for boys? He couldn't believe the little baby that he ones held through sleepless nights now like/recognized boys.

"You said no boys." Brooke corrected him, "I said boys within reason. If she's here and I can supervise them then so be it." She said with a shrug of her shoulders, "don't even think about making her embarrassed or interrogating him. Understand it?"

With the pop of her hip and a hand placed on it, Lucas realized how beautiful Brooke looked right now. Her brown locks pulled into a ponytail and her bangs covered her forehead. Light make-up was on her face and her lips were panted red- the one color he loved on her. She was dressed in jeans, black boots, and a black shirt the was tight enough for him to notice the growing bump. She looked stunning to him.

"Did I mention you look beautiful, Pretty Girl?" He whispered in her ear.

She shivered under his breath and a smile fell on her lips. "Thanks," The nickname still made her melt. "But, you still need to behave today. All of them have friends coming over so be nice. We need to be role models." Brooke did this spiel ever time the kids had friends over as a joke. She'd usually end up embarrassing them.

"I think we are the best role models out there."

"Yeah cause having to explain to your friends that your divorced parents are having another kid together and sneaking around their kids backs is being a perfect role model." Patrick stormed down the stairs stunning both parents.

Brooke and Lucas thought they were excellent at keeping things between them private. Lucas would help tuck Teddy and Gwen into bed and then hang around discussing parenting issues- so they say- till Brooke knew all older kids were in bed before they had their alone time.

Just a few kisses, and usually a movie was watched or a recorded show that Brooke didn't get a chance to watch because she was running around with the kids. Other nights it was spent discussing the new baby. Baby names were a hot topic as of now. Two girl names were decided upon and two boy names even though Brooke is only sixteen weeks along.

Delilah Hope or Viviane Hope for a girl

Bradley Dean or Mathias Dean for a boy

They both know they have time to tinker with the names but they are waiting to know the sex to find the perfect one.

"It is kind of hard." Sullivan shrugged from the corner where he sat reading a book in typical Sully fashion. "Teachers ask and I need to explain."

"What?" Brooke looked at him shocked. "Why would teacher's ask? It's non of their business."

"Because you're usually mood or really happy when you get me. They worried about your mental health status." Sullivan let out a laugh. "I wanted to tell my teacher that she was crazy to think that and that you were just a hormonal mess."

"I am not a hormonal mess!" Brooke's voice demanded attention as she projected it with anger to her sons. In a short second a wave of tears started to fall, cascading down her cheeks as she walked into the kitchen.

"And this is why people wonder about how I am so normal in a family messed up like this." Rosalie spoke up in an adultish tone that made Lucas stare at her. No ten-year-old he ever met talked like she did in the one sentence. "What? It was time for me to mature since I officially own my first bra right now."

"I got all her Barbie dolls!" Gwendolyn spoke from the floor where she was coloring one of her new coloring books Santa Clause brought her.

"One, I do not need to ever hear about a bra again." Lucas shivered at the thought of his little girls maturing bodies. He remembers the first time he noticed girl's breasts and cursed himself for the thoughts he had then. "Two, leave your mother alone. Her hormones are going to be like this or worse for the next couple of months and you all are going to suck it up. Got it?" He waited for six nods, "Now good."

"Lucas I'm a mess. I can't do this all over again!" Brooke looked up at him from her spot on the kitchen island. When they first purchased the house Brooke was adamant about wanting an open floor plan especially since they had four kids ranging from five to newborn. Now she was thanking God that Lucas talked her into this one because of the privacy.

Lucas knew he'd be repeating the words he was about to say multiple times through out the pregnancy and even daily is needed too just to make her see everything positive. "Brooke, you may be a mess right now but you can be. You have no choice," he laughed "it's happened and now we get to enjoy him."

"It can be a girl." She pointed out just to tease him. A girl or a boy or hell even twins wouldn't bother her. She had no preference on to what she wanted, just one healthy baby to love.

"I hope not. I can only hear about Em dating and Rosalie wearing a bra so many times before I lock them away."

"Don't go all Disney on me now, Luke." She plastered a smile on her face and wiped tears away.

"If I was Disney, I'd create something to make them all stop growing." Lucas growled seriously wanting a beer right now to calm him down but of course Brooke made him give up beer for nine months. If she can't drink either can he.

In a quick second, Brooke turned serious again. "Do you think we can do it again?" She questioned him. Can she handle raising another kid? Will she be a better mom? The saying running through her mind is 'things get better with age'. It's a quote based on wine, something she missed, but will it be allowed to fit in with parenting?

"Well we don't have a choice anymore." He stated and by the look he was receiving it was not the right response. "I think we can do it again. I mean we have six and none of them are unhealthy or not alive. I don't think one more will do any damage."

"Maybe I'm just as crazy as Sully's teacher thinks." Sighing, Brooke frowned.

Lucas took this as a sign. He made his way over to her, standing between her legs. "Brooke, listen to me. You are not crazy; you are hormonal which is totally acceptable behavior. You are a great mother; one more baby in this house will never change that. I'll be here every step of the way with this baby."

"Promise me?" Brooke looked at him with her green eyes.

"I promise you Pretty Girl." He leaned in for a kiss.

"And this is why in three years I'm getting the hell out of this town and far away from you two!" Em sighed walking right back out of were she came from.

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

"Teddy asleep?" Lucas asked. Teddy was resting his head on his father's shoulder for the past thirty minutes, not moving an inch.

It was almost midnight, five more minutes to be exact. Then it will be a new start to their family.

"Out cold," Brooke smiled sipping the cup of tea in her hands. "Every night, like clock work at eight-thirty he's usually out cold."

Lucas looked around the room and smiled. Em was sitting on the couch just watching the television secretly holding hands with her 'boyfriend'. Lucas did everything in his power not to get up and sit in-between them but Brooke said to leave them alone and that's what he was going to do.

Patrick was upstairs with friends playing video games and they haven't seen them since dinner arrived. Sullivan sat on a chair and was reading. He did invite a friend over, but their parent's came and got him already.

Rosalie was earlier running around with friends trying to stay away from Gwendolyn who was trying to be included in the 'mature' girls conversation.

So that left Teddy hanging out with them. They didn't mind. Lucas laughed the most he has ever laughed before because he never realized how silly Teddy was. In the group of kids, he usually blends in, but tonight he stood out.

"Should we go put him in bed?" Lucas asked. He was comfortable on the couch. Brooke was resting against him and Teddy was laying on him.

"Nah," Brooke kissed his cheek. Since the kids found out, Brooke was enjoying not keeping it a secret. It was hard for her, but she knew better than to tell the kids right away. "I promised I'd wake him up at midnight."

"You look beautiful," Lucas kissed the side of her head. She long ditched the jeans and boots and was now replaced with sweatpants and slippers.

Brooke responded with a smile, silently thanking him as the countdown began.

Ten... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one...

Lucas took this as his cue. He turned Brooke's face and kissed her right on the lips. They say that the first kiss on New Years Day is someone important to you and Brooke was more than important to him. She was his everything. His love, and his life.

"Happy New Years Broody." Brooke smiled pulling him into a kiss. "And here's to many more."

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**NEW STORY:**

**Sugar, We're Going Down Swinging: **Julian is about to lose his job after the company he works for is combining with another. His boss, Lucas, always flirted with his wife, Brooke. What happens when Julian pushes Brooke to sleep with Lucas to keep his job?

I have an outline planned and I'll start writing soon! Tell me what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary: **Single mother with six kids whose ex-husband is her best friend. Yeah, cause that's exactly would sound great on a dating website.

**Disclaimer:** I only own the kids, but even that isn't enough for me. The title comes from a Carrie Underwood song by the same name.

**So some of ya'll wanted an epilog to find out about the baby. At first I wasn't going to do it but I was trying to do everything instead of doing homework. Since I finally finished my homework, I thought I'd post it. Here it is, I hope you all enjoy. It's time to say goodbye to Cupid's Got A Shotgun.**

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**Cupid's Got A Shotgun  
****Chapter Seventeen- Epilog  
****Lucas's Point-of-View**

"Mom come on! I need your help!" Emmeline banged on the bedroom door of out master bedroom. "I need to be at school in an hour and I'm not even ready yet!"

"And that is our wake up call." Brooke frowned into her good morning kiss. "Graduation day, scary."

"Your baby's all grown up." I teased her. I understood the growing up, it happens in the blink of an eye, but he was certainly dealing with it better than Brooke was. We laid in bed, on one of the busiest days of the year for our family of nine now, or eleven if you count the two dogs, Muffy and Hattie that were adopted.

"Do we need to get up?" Brooke complained. She rested her head on my chest, sighing in content over the quietness of our bedroom retreat right now. It was the only kid free room in the entire house, leaving us in a toy, yelling, hitting free zone.

"Mommy! I hear you!" The youngest banged on the door. He was going to continue banging on that door unless one of use let him in.

Bradley Dean Scott was born May 15th- nine months exactly from the day they got locked in the office together. His mahogany brown curly hair, blue eyes and dimpled smile made him the perfect combination of Brooke and I. Neither one of us really expecting or wanting to add another child to the already crazy mess, but when Bradley was placed into Brooke's arms the second after he was born her world and my world changed for the better. She was glad he was there to complete the family, and so was I.

"Sneak out the window so we don't need to deal with them?" I laughed, offering a get away plan. Peace, that's all we wanted for at least an hour a day, but that was just hopeful wishing and never exactly happened.

As the kids aged in three years, so did the craziness surrounding them.

Emmeline at eighteen stayed far away from the family except for when she was grounded or helping with Bradley. Today she was finally graduating from high school, an accomplishment Brooke couldn't believe happened in a split second. In three short months Em would be heading off to the University of South Carolina for business. I was more nervous wreck having her so far away from us in a college town filled with boys, but I knew the self-defense I taught Em sure would help.

Patrick, now sixteen, was turning into a typical jock like Nathan and I. He eats, sleeps and breathes for basketball. His world revolved around it and it helped that I became a coach at the high school. It gave a little more control over him and the standard varsity sports team at a high school. Me couching met that Patrick was forced to stay out of trouble.

Sullivan found his passion, cars. At fifteen he's helping me build a car together. Starting from the bottom, just a steal junker frame of an old mustang, and finishing it with all authentic details. Since starting high school, Sullivan decided he wanted to attend the same schools as his siblings did. Brooke was upset, as she knew the opportunities he would receive if he continued at the magnet school, but it was Sully's choice.

Rosalie was going to become their problem child. The typical middle child syndrome was hitting them hard and she was only thirteen. Hanging with an older Lydia did not help them very much either. It was like the Scott Brother's being back to their old ways again. Brooke supported Rosie's decision to dye her hair, underneath, multiple colors and to even dress in all black. All of this made myself want to rip my graying hair out. Rosalie's new thing is to be called Ro, not Rosalie or Rosie or even Rose, just Ro.

Gwendolyn became the quiet child. At nine she became the quiet one and the one you'd find doing arts and crafts or doodling. I tell Brooke that she takes after her for that aspect, but Brooke see's more of me in her personality. She broodings a lot more than any of the other kids making Brooke swear that if Gwen was a boy she'd be nickname Broody Jr.

Teddy became an energetic ball of energy that neither Brooke nor myself could keep up with on a daily basis. He would fidget if you made him sit for to long and could spend hours outside playing and then finally come inside with tons of energy. The problem with him is that the school noticed it too; they ended up diagnosing him with ADHD. He still had too much energy for his own good. I kid around that Teddy can supply power to the house if they set him on a bike and made him peddle all damn day.

As for Brooke and I, they were even stronger than before. As Brooke tells people "If you love someone let them go and if they came back then you are meant to be". Shortly after Bradley was born, I moved back home, and actually was staying in the same room as Brooke. It was awesome to finally be a family again.

On Bradley's first Christmas, I proposed again. This time I got a ring that would mean something to Brooke. The center, princess cut diamond, was the exact same diamond from his mother's ring but along the bands had the seven different birthstones, each representing on kid and also one birthstone representing the month that we met in high school.

And we have yet to get married again as Brooke saw no point in it. To her, we were married, did everything that married couples do and wore rings like they were but no official papers have been signed as of now. I tried talking Brooke into it but she'd rather spend that money on the kids or whatever nice pair of shoes she had her eyes on for weeks.

"I wish." Brooke planted one kiss on my lips before climbing out of the bed. "In one second everyone will be storming in here, so if I were you, I'd put on pants." Brooke added a wink to the ending. Last night was fun for us. A little celebration, privately of course, of one kid making it to adulthood/college, a big task when someone is so use to having babies around.

"Why'd we have so many kids? They ruin everything." I faked a laugh knowing that most likely three to four of their kids were waiting on the other side.

"Mom! I need help! Come on you promised you'd help me!" Em banged on the door more as Brooke took her sweet time to open the door. "Dad stop kissing her and let us in!"

"Calm your horses, Em. We have plenty of time to what ever you want to your hair." Brooke sighed. "In the mean time do your make up please while I shower."

"Mama, Em no needs it." Bradley stated proud of the fact that he repeated my statement almost perfectly trying to impress Brooke. The funny thing was I think Bradley is the biggest flirt out of all the kids. Even when he was a baby, he would scream if any man held him besides me, but put him in the arms of a female and he'd calm down immediately. As he grew he'd bat his eyes at Brooke and she'd give in immediately to him.

"None of my girls need make-up." I interjected into the conversation from my spot in the comfortable bed. "You're beautiful without it Emmy."

"Yeah well, girl's wear it nowadays." Em shrugged it off. "But wait till you two see what Rosie, no Ro, and Lydia did last night."

"Rosalie get out here, please." Brooke sighed. She enjoyed how Rosalie was close with her cousin, but at a point Lydia was a Nathan pre-Haley and Brooke was paying for the consequences. I ignored the best I could, only to bitch to Nathan about it later on. Hell, he admits to being terrified of Lydia at times.

"That is not my name." Rosalie stomped into the hallway. Her dirty blonde hair was now dyed black all over. Brooke was shocked; a little color underneath wouldn't hurt but dyeing her whole head such a dark color was bad.

I heard the yelling before I was told to join them. I was already on my way into the hall.

"Lucas you better get out here before I call Nathan and kill his daughter and our daughter!"

"It will come out Mom, geez." Rosie rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hip.

"Oh," Lucas became silent when he saw her, "She looks like a little you now, Brooke."

"You're supposed to help me out here, Lucas." Brooke did the same actions her daughter did, hand on hips and a eyes roll.

"Now that is just creepy."

"You, deal with this." Brooke warned him before turning away to go help Em get ready.

Whenever we had some place to be, some place that someone would take pictures out something always happened. The day Bradley was born, Teddy fell down the stairs giving himself a black eye. Teddy's kindergarten graduation, Patrick had a broken leg. Just to give a few examples. Now in these pictures, Rosalie will have black hair.

"Daddy you in trouble. Mommy gave you her mean business look." Bradley stated so innocently. I truly think I have never seen Brooke punish our youngest for the mere fact he is the youngest and half the shit he did was usually backed up by one of the older kids.

"Just get dressed Rosalie. We'll deal with this later. If you ever want to dye your whole head again, please warn us to talk it out of you or if you and Lydia want to do anything stupid again, do it over there. Get Uncle Nathan in trouble so I'm not in the dog house for supposedly not watching you two." I sighed knowing I'm the one to technically to blame for their supervision.

Brooke was out with Haley celebrating Em making it through high school. Em was out celebrating with friends, Patrick was down at the local court practicing with friends for fun, Sullivan and myself where working on the car with the help of Bradley. This left Rosalie, Gwen and Teddy inside the home alone. Then Lydia came over and left an hour later.

A lot has changed in this house, the major one being that it seemed happy again. Laughter, memories, and fun filled the walls unlike those three long blacked out years. I loved looking at the walls and seeing all the memories hung up as I walked down the stairs every morning. Pictures from when Em was a baby to the day that Bradley was born. Brooke even had pictures from high school of Nathan, Haley, herself and me.

"Boys get ready and Patrick no basketball shorts please and Sul, no car shirts. Your mother wants you two to look presentable." I took over waking up everyone. Who in their right mind made high school graduation at ten in the morning on a Saturday was beyond me. It was an idiotic thing. "Dress nice or your mother will seriously put me in the dog house."

It wouldn't be the first time I was in the doghouse. The first time when I moved back was when I, idiotically, told Gwendolyn and Teddy that they could surf down the stairs on their mattresses. That left Gwen with a sprained wrist and concussion, all while Brooke took a nap upstairs after being up all night with a colic Bradley. I still remember the pain of when Brooke heatedly threw a shoe at my head.

"Not our fault you're whipped." Patrick laughed.

"I'm not whipped, Paddy. It's called happy wife, happy life." I shook my head leaving knowing that one day he will understand it all.

"Teddy, no more video games." I heard Brooke saying calmly before hearing the ripping of the plug out of the wall. Those stupid video games. Please explain how one kid could have twenty plus video games and yet complains he doesn't have enough?

"Dad do something!" Teddy screamed. I wish I could but Brooke and I agreed to accept each other's punishments for the kids. It made it easier for the seven kids not to gang up on two of us.

"If you buy him one more video game I swear you'll regret it. He's been playing these stupid video games since school ended two days ago. He's banned from it."

"I just wanted to beat that level and I was going too!" Teddy pouted his lip. Till the time Bradley came along, Brooke would've given in to him but she knew better now.

"The game system is out of your room for a while." Brooke just walked out and I followed. Damn when she was angry she became hot. If we didn't have some place to go, I'd lock us in an office again.

"Did I mention you're beautiful?" I pushed her against the wall, placing my lips softly on hers. "So damn beautiful."

"And this is why there are eight of us." Gwen silently popped out of her room before heading right back in.

"And we're caught." Brooke laughed. "I need to finish getting ready and so do you. Tonight, Luke." She gave me one more kiss before shoving me off of her.

**-XO-OTH-XO-**

Seeing Em walk across that stage terrified me. In two years she'd be the age Brooke and I were when she was born. In two years Em could have a kid and that was horrible imagine to think about.

I trust her, tremendously. Any boy that came into her life, she made sure Brooke and I met and approve, but now being hours away we wouldn't have that luxury.

"What you thinking about Broody?" Brooke walked around the car as we walked in to the restaurant with everyone. It was the family celebration for Em since she didn't want a party. All she wanted was a car and after many conversations with Brooke, I gave in and we got her that car.

"Them, all of them." I wrapped my arm protectively around her. "I'm feeling old."

"What about them?" Brooke looked on were my eyes were drawn too.

One long table taking up more than half of the outdoor seating area where the kids all began to join together and sit; somehow Bradley got the center stage seat at the end of the table. Don't know exactly how that happened but I laughed at it. Bradley was spoiled, it was very true, and I knew we would regret it constantly.

"They've changed."

"Everyone changes, Broody. We've changed. These last six years we've all improved after some became assholes." She teased me, smirking with her dimpled smile. Motherhood was wonderful to her. If I, well really she, had her way we'd have another to make the kids become an even amount; Brooke and her even numbers. I just thought seven was a good number to stop at. "But changes are good. Them becoming older is good. I don't think I could handle seven kids all young."

"I love you Brooke Davis-Scott, more than you will ever know." I pulled her in tightly, kissing her on the lips in front of all the kids.

"I love you to Broody Boy."


End file.
